


A Storm on the Horizon

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989)
Genre: Apocalypse, Cult, Death, Down, F/M, Family, Friendship, Hurt, Portal - Freeform, Possession, Prophecy, Rescue, Sacrifice, Team, gateway - Freeform, gozer - Freeform, injured, life - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 13:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 40,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10923033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: A new paranormal disturbance is brewing over New York City. An eerie hotel seems to be the source of the problem but what is causing it and why? Egon, Ray, Peter and Dana must look for the source of the unnatural phenomenon before a new cataclysm threatens to destroy the city and overrun the living with the dead! (takes place after Ghostbusters 2 and the 2009 game)





	A Storm on the Horizon

A strange and ominous force of paranormal origin hung heavily over the city like a snowy cloud during a blizzard. The sky over New York City had steadily darkened over the previous weeks until daylight was seemingly only a fond memory. As the clouds thickened the air became colder and heavier with an ethereal weight that threatened to crush all of those who dared to set foot outside.

The Ghostbusters had urged the mayor to announce a state of alert but, of course he wasn't going to tell millions of registered voters to panic because of a cloudy day. Those who had learned from past incidents to listen to the unorthodox scientists had left the city for a brighter, warmer locale until the bizarre event overhead began to clear.

Dr. Peter Venkman and his wife, Dana Barrett, had decided to take an extended honeymoon before the bizarre event unfolded over the city and neither knew of the disturbance that was awaiting them back home.

"This is very strange, Ray." Dr. Egon Spengler was reviewing the latest gathered on the otherworldly event on the horizon. Handing the data to his colleague Egon resumed his exposition. "According to this reading, alongside the hot readings confirmed on the PKE meter, there is an absurdly high amount of electrical activity in the atmosphere; but only above the city in a centrally localized radius."

"What!?" Dr. Ray Stantz blurted as he snatched the gather papers offered. "That's impossible! This isn't just some passing storm cloud or disruption from the city's electrical grid..." Ray sat back in a chair and sighed as he ran a hand through his brown hair. "It's scientifically impossible for a storm of this magnitude to be condensed to such a limited range, let alone remain stationary for sixteen consecutive days."

"I know." Egon was just as perplexed by the readings as Ray. "I think we should take a closer look. If we can get a more accurate reading of atmospheric conditions we might be able to pinpoint and identify the cause of this psychokinetic storm."

"Good idea. I'll get ahold of Peter and ask him to help." Ray reached for the phone sitting on the edge of his personal work desk and lifted it off of its receiver. "Think he and Dana are back from Greece by now?"

"They should've flown back two nights ago, but thanks to our little weather phenomenon many flights have delayed and others have been completely canceled."

"Great." Ray hung up the phone and thought for a moment. "I'll swing by their apartment and see if they did make it back. They probably swung by Dana's sister's place to pick up Oscar."

"Right. I'm going to check out the area and take another reading." Egon decided as he pulled off his white lab coat from over his gray three piece suit in favor of his heavier brown jacket. "If I find anything of interest I'll call." He grabbed his trusty PKE meter and tucked it away in his pocket. "I have a feeling that something big is on the horizon."

Ray nodded his head in agreement as he checked for the keys for the Ecto-1 in his pants pocket. "Think I'll call in Winston, too. I know it's his night off but right now if we can't find Peter we're going to need all the help we can get."

Outside the clouds continued to darken and thicken over the city. The air was chilly despite being the middle of August, and felt unnaturally charged. The streets were unusually vacant as many New Yorkers took it upon themselves to either leave the city or simply lock themselves inside their homes.

Egon pulled the collar of his coat up around his neck as a brisk wind chilled him to the bone. "I'll meet you back here at nine, which is about..." he glanced down at his watch as he pulled the sleeve of his coat up. "two and half hours from now."

"Sounds good." Ray agreed as he locked the front door to Ghostbusters HQ. "After I check in on Peter and Winston I'll come back here and check our instruments for any misalignment before we continue our investigation."

"Good plan."

On that final note Egon began walking down the lengthy sidewalk with the PKE meter in his hand. Ray took off in the Ecto-1 heading in the opposite direction toward Peter and Dana Barrett's shared apartment.

A string of uneventful months throughout the entire city had left the Ghostbusters with plenty of time to adjust and improve their instrumentation, while also performing many experiments on all the paranormal energy they've collected over their years of patrolling and cleaning the streets of New York. During this lull Peter and Dana had rekindled their past relationship and finally found a way to make it work. With Dana's son, Oscar, as the honorary ring bearer Peter and Dana were married two months after the incident with Vigo at the Museum. Ray was made the best man with Egon and Winston as the groomsmen. Dana's sister was the matron of honor and had two of her closest friends from the orchestra as bridesmaids. It was a brief wedding but lovely and memorable all the same.

Ray pulled up in front of the apartment complex and parked the car out front. The building wasn't as grand as Dana's old penthouse had been, but it was safer and free of Gozer worshiping architects. It was, however, much nicer than the slummy apartment that Peter had settled for after the Ghostbusters were temporarily disbanded and went their separate ways.

Walking up to the door Ray pressed the little button on the intercom to buzz Peter and Dana's apartment but there was no answer. He decided to try again just in case but still nothing.

"Hey!" An older woman with a thick accent yelled down at Ray from her now opened apartment window. "You looking for that Venkman character? You're one of the Ghostbusters, right?"

"Yeah!" Ray confirmed as he looked upward and waved to the helpful woman. "Is he back yet? I need to speak with him."

"Yeah, got back home about an hour ago, but you just missed him!"

"Where'd he go? Do you know?"

"He and the wife went to go pick up their baby!" The woman smiled as she spoke. "Such a cute little thing, sure glad he looks nothing like his father!"

Ray chuckled quietly to himself, not wanting to correct the lady about Peter being Oscar's step father and having no relation to Oscar at all. "Yeah, uh, thanks for your help! Say, if you see him coming back could you tell him Ray was looking for him?"

"Sure, no problem! Just make sure the sky doesn't fall and I can pass along that message!"

"Thanks..." Ray looked past the woman to the swirling dark clouds overhead. "I'll do my best."

Climbing back into the car Ray looked down at his watch. "I have sometime before I meeting up with Egon. I can go swing by Winston's place." He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. "Just hope he's home. And won't be mad for ruining his time off."

* * *

Following the readings on the PKE meter Egon found himself walking closer to the eye of the storm that loomed threateningly over the hearts of the city. The needle on the small display shifted wildly from left to right as he held the device out at arm's length into the air and toward the sky.

"This isn't good." He told himself as his worst suspicions were seemingly confirmed. "I need an air sample to be sure."

Eyeing the numerous buildings of various heights and widths that made New York the iconic city that it was Egon chose the building nearest the center of the storm.

"This is the near center of the psychokinetic concentration, I should get a better reading from the top floor." Egon looked up at the front of the villain with a scientific curiosity as his focused brown eyes read the name aglow in elegantly lights and large letters. "The Mercado Hotel."

Without attracting too much attention Egon walked through the lobby of the hotel and discreetly carried the PKE meter in front of himself as he casually strolled through the expansive room with only a handful of people either checking into or out of the hotel. The maids and bellhops didn't pay any attention to the tall man as he made his way across the lobby and toward the door leading to the staircase.

"Hey you!" The receptionist at the desk caught sight of Egon and gestured with a single finger for him to join her. "Come over here."

"Yes?" Egon asked quietly while feigning ignorance as he approached the desk. "Can I assist you?"

"You're a Ghostbuster, I've seen the ads." She lowered her glasses down her nose as she flashed him a stern look. "I'm also aware of your track record with buildings, especially hotels."

"I can assure you miss, I'm here simply to take a reading; NOT to bust any ghosts."

She crossed her arms and gave him a less than reassured look.

"I'll leave in less than twenty minutes without breaking anything. I swear."

"You better." She answered as she turned her attention to the phone on the front desk as it began suddenly ringing. "If I find one thing out of place I know who I'm gonna' call." She picked up the phone. "And it won't be for hire! Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Egon was quick and affirmative. "Twenty minutes."

A little intimidated by the feisty women Egon resumed his scan and found himself being lead back to the stairs. More specifically, up the stairs. Pushing open the door and stepping inside the small stairwell he held the meter up and stared at the winding staircase that seemed to spiral upward forever. A brief and unwelcome flash to the night he and the rest of the guys faced off against Gozer popped in his head, but was gone just as quickly.

Returning his focus to the task at hand Egon assessed the readout on the meter.

"Strange." He remarked as he began to climb the seldom tread staircase up to the second floor. "I've never seen such a high level of electrical activity without a man made device to enhance it." Stepping back through the doors Egon chose to use the elevator to reach the top floor, rather than walk. "This is big. Very big." The car of the elevator suddenly shuddered and the lights flickered. Egon looked about the interior of the car curiously, waiting for a repeat of the power surge. "Ray better find Peter and Winston, fast."

* * *

Ray easily found his way to Winston's apartment and parked the car along the unusually quiet street. Whenever Ray had visited Winston in the past he had always seen the entire block alive with people and community pride. Now this street was just as deserted, lifeless and quiet as the rest of the scared and vacated city.

A chilly wind blew through the air and made Ray shudder. "Brr." He ran his hands up and down his arms to stave off the cold. "Sure hope it warms up soon. Never thought I'd be asking for a heatwave in the middle of August."

Entering the small apartment complex Ray was greeted by the always friendly superintendent, Mr. Wilson, who was changing a lightbulb by the elevators. There was a large black tool box on the floor that was covered in grease, rags and full of odd bits and pieces of tools. "Hey Ray Stantz!" He finished screwing in the bulb and offered his hand for Ray to shake. "Good to see you! How've you been?"

"I'm doing fine Mr. Wilson, how're you?" Ray reciprocated the warm gesture happily.

"I'm doing good. My son brought the boys up to visit for a few weeks. I can't believe my own grandsons are already starting junior high. Where does the time go?"

"Wish I knew. It seems like only yesterday I was still teaching in a crummy small office in a university basement." Ray smiled but changed the subject to keep on track with more important matters at hand. "Winston in?"

"Nah, he's out of town until the end of the week." Mr. Wilson shook his head a little sadly. "If you want I can try and get in touch with him for ya'. He said he'd be at his brother's place in Pittsburgh."

"No, thanks but no." Ray dropped his head. "Maybe it's best for him to stay where he is."

"The storm?" Mr. Wilson asked as he wiped his dirty hands on a rag from his toolbox.

"Yeah."

"Figured as much. Never had the building so empty before. Many of my tenants took off as soon as those clouds began gathering."

"Maybe we should all leave the city." His response was heavy with doubt.

"Look, you boys have saved this city from strange things I can't even begin to comprehend! You'll do it again, too. I just know it." He put a strong hand on Ray's shoulder. "Just keep the faith, you hear?"

"Yeah, I hear."

"Good. Now get on out of here! I got work to do!" He joked lightly as he resumed digging through his toolbox. "If I hear from Winston I'll pass along your message."

"Thanks Mr. Wilson. Stay safe."

"You do the same."

The lights in the apartment flickered briefly while the sky outside somehow darkened further. The clouds shifted in density and color changing from a blackish purple to blackish blue. Several people could be heard panicking throughout the apartment and in the other buildings across the street. Whatever was happening to the city was making everyone dangerously edgy.

"Man, the power's been doing that all week." Mr. Wilson commented in a relaxed, almost jaded manner. "We've even had a few light bulbs shatter from power surges."

"I think these surges and the storm are connected." Ray was watching the clouds through the large window near the front entrance. Whatever concern he was feeling he masked very well. "We need to figure out what's going before things get serious."

"And I get the feeling that things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better."

* * *

As the elevator reached the top floor of the hotel Egon exited the small car with his PKE meter still in hand. Scanning the floor, the walls and the air for any sign of unusual readings he found that the main source of the previous high level electrical readings on this floor were even higher than outside.

"Something in this building seems to amplifying the psychokinetic energy." He pondered out loud as he finished his sweep with the meter. "I'll need to get an air sample and return to HQ for further study." Talking to himself was an unusual habit he had picked up when he was a kid, but everyone who had come to know him didn't think anything of it.

Pulling a small syringe specifically designed to pull in air and retain it and the smallest of particles inside a glass vial from his pocket Egon looked for a way to get to the outside of the hotel for a pure air sample. None of the windows could be opened even he did have access to a room, his only option was to use the door leading to roof access.

"Perhaps the power surges have interrupted the security alarm on the door." Egon tentatively put his hand on the door handle and tested to see if it was locked. It was not. It opened outward slowly and didn't make a sound.

"Good."

Propping the door open with a small wooden doorstop tucked away just inside the small staircase leading to the roof Egon prepared his syringe and made a quick but silent ascent up the stairs to the roof.

The exterior door was also unlocked.

An icy wind swirled all around the building. Egon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the electrical energy that was heavy in the air made contact with his skin. Looking up into the swirling blue clouds Egon stood in awe at the spiraling storm overhead. The clouds had begun transitioning from dark storm clouds to an ethereal shade of blue, even right before his eyes.

"This is impossible." Egon said to himself as the wind whipped through his hair and cut into his flesh through the fabric of his coat. Putting the syringe in the air as high as he could reach Egon pushed the plunger out to expel any possibly contaminated air from the vial, the retracted the plunger to pull a sample of the psychokinetically charged air in.

"Got it." Egon capped the end of the syringe and put it back in his pocket.

A low rumble of thunder from above piqued his curiosity. "Strange." He returned his attention to his PKE meter. "There has been no audio disturbances detected from the ground. How is this-"

Thunder rumbled even louder as bolts of pure electricity flashed within the dark clouds and charged the air further. A single bolt stretched down from the clouds and struck the lightning rod at the top of the hotel.

The hotel itself shuddered violently from the lightning strike. All of the lights inside the building flashed on and went dark as the bulbs burst and the breakers flipped. The smell of ozone was emanating from every corner of the building as the remaining guests had decided that they've had enough of the strange weather in New York and began vacating the hotel in a mass exodus.

Egon was stunned by the close proximity of the strike. Standing alone on the roof of the hotel Egon put on hand to his aching ears and tucked the PKE meter into his coat pocket. The meter had been shorted out by the electrical surge and the display had been damaged.

As Egon began stumbling back toward the door and return to the interior of the hotel a second rumble of thunder echoed from within the storm. With the thunder came a low, menacing voice: "Kismet."

Before he could react to the disembodied voice that taunted him from the clouds a second bolt of lightning crashed down to the roof of the hotel. This second bolt struck closer than the first. Egon was sent flying back through the door of the hotel and tumbled down the hard, concrete flight of stairs and collided with the propped open door. Gasping for breath Egon struggled to roll from his pained chest onto his side while desperately attempting to breathe.

Weak and shaken by the experience Egon could only crawl across the floor to the elevator as his ears rang and his vision whited. Coughing harshly his hand reached up from the floor and found the call button to the elevator. The doors opened and Egon crawled inside. With one final rush of strength Egon pressed the button for the ground floor before laying down on the floor of the car and writhing in pain.

"R-Ray... Peter..." His vision began to clear, it was then Egon noticed the red stain blossoming on his chest. "Help... Help me."

The large elevator shuddered with halting stomach churning jerks as it descended from the top floor of the Mercado Hotel back to the ground floor. Egon, the lone occupant, had propped himself up at an uncomfortable angle in the far corner of the elevator car; one hand supporting himself on the handrail and the other pressed firmly against the red wound on his chest.

Still panting for breath Egon tried to focus his mind and keep himself from panicking. Each gasping breath burned into every fiber of his being. His trembling hands were almost numb and barely able to keep hold of the railing and his own chest.

The ringing in Egon's ears mercifully quieted and his vision cleared. It was only then he realized that at some point between the second strike and his fall down the stairs he had lost his glasses. While the temporarily blinding whiteness faded his vision was still blurry.

The elevator came a puttering stop on the ground floor as the lights flickered for the final time. The doors slowly parted and Egon pulled himself up from the ground and used the wall to navigate his way out of the elevator car and back into the main lobby of the hotel.

He was alone.

All occupants and staff of the hotel had fled after the two consecutive lightning strikes rocked the building. Dropped suitcases, bags and even purses were scattered across the floor. The phone on the receptionists desk was left off the hook and hanging off the edge sounding off with an error tone.

A loud groan emanated from the basement of the library as the power through the entire building went out. The hotel was dark, quiet and abandoned all within a matter of seconds.

Stumbling across the lobby Egon forced himself to walk to the main doors despite the horrific pain in his chest and his lack of breath. His fingers and hands were tingling with numbness with each step he took. Pushing the front doors opened Egon hung onto the door frame with his dwindling strength as the bone searing pain in his chest stung anew in the unnaturally brisk air.

"Ray..." Egon propped himself up against the door as he struggled to maintain focus. "Need your... help. Kismet..."

The sidewalk was just as vacated and empty at the hotel itself. No one was walking past, no cars were driving by. Alone and wounded Egon had no choice but to make his way back to Ghostbusters HQ eight blocks away on foot.

* * *

Ecto-1 backed into the garage of Ghostbusters HQ with Ray behind the wheel. Alone. The large renovated hearse was as cumbersome as it was iconic, but it was still a reliable source of transportation. Ray prided himself on his devoted restoration of the long neglected vehicle.

Awaiting the return of the titular Ghostbusters, receptionist Janine Melnitz was sitting behind her desk with a smarmy grin on her face. "Welcome back." She greeted. "Did you find anything out about the storm?" She asked curiously as she leaned over her desk with interest at the returned scientist. "Or Winston for that matter?"

"Not yet." Ray shrugged off his coat and put the keys to the car in his pocket. "Any messages? Any word from Egon or Peter?"

"No and yes." Janine replied as she motioned toward the rec room at the top of the staircase.

Ray just arched his eyebrow as he went up into the rec room without any clue as to why Janine seemed so unusually chipper.

Inside the rec room the low muttering of the small portable television could be heard and the smell of coffee was thick in the air. The TV was sitting on the billiard table and set to a news station. Standing at the counter with a freshly brewed pot of coffee Dana turned and smiled warmly at her truly unique friend. "Ray!" She greeted with a melodic joy in her voice. "So good to see you!"

"Dana!" Ray went in for a hug which she happily accepted. "Boy am I glad you're here! Where's Peter and Oscar?"

Dana stepped back from the hug and ran a hand through her thick wavy hair. "Peter took Oscar and my sister out of town. They'll be staying at a hotel in Jersey until this..." She glanced at the nearby small TV with a news report on the very same weather phenomenon being discussed. "whatever this is clears up. She was worried, and I didn't want the baby being exposed to anything paranormal."

"Can't say that I blame you." Ray chimed in with complete understanding. "I think that's for the best. But why are you here?"

"My neighbor Mrs. Nelson told me that you had stopped by. So I told Peter to find me here after he finished taking care of the baby."

"Do you know when Peter will be back?"

"Soon, I think." Dana's reply was less than reaffirming. "I'm not sure how long he'll be."

"Great." Was stressing himself to the brink of fatigue as his mind was racing with every possible worst case scenario that his twisted imagination could conjure. "Winston's out of the state, Peter is out the state and Egon is chasing down readings on the streets."

Dana sympathetically took Ray's hand in her own. "Ray please don't blame yourself. You're not the one responsible for this."

"Yeah, thanks." He forced himself to smile as he realized that it was a little silly to try and carry the full weight of the situation himself. "Look, Egon should be back soon. Why don't you make yourself at home? I'm sure Peter will be here any minute, he wouldn't leave you alone for too long."

Dana appreciated Ray's renewed confidence and resumed her routine in the kitchen. "You hungry? I just made some coffee, I could whip something up in the kitchen for you."

"No thanks, I'm not very hungry. I'll be down in the lab checking over the recent data samples. When Egon and Peter get here-"

"I'll point them in your direction." She knew exactly what to do and what to say to ease his mind. "Go. Everything will be okay. I know it."

Without another word Ray took his leave and slipped into the lab. The unorthodox scientist was as curious as he was tired.

"Poor guy." Dana remarked as she poured a cup of coffee. She carried it out of the rec room and down to the main area where Janine had her desk set up. "How long has it been like this?" She asked as she handed Janine the coffee. "We were gone for three weeks, what did we miss?"

"A lot. And thanks." Janine replied as she gratefully took the offered coffee. "It's been like this for..." She quickly tallied the days in her head. "sixteen days now."

"Wow. Sixteen days?" Dana had no idea that this was going on. "We didn't know anything was happening back here."

"Yeah, I can't imagine that Greece would be up to date with New York and its latest in strangeness." Janine looked at the large clock on the far wall. "Hey, could you tell Ray that I had to go. My mother's sick and she doesn't like to be alone at night."

"Oh sure." Dana's heart went out to the fiery receptionist. She knew all too well the emotional strain of having family needing help, especially during times of crisis. "I'll take care of things here, you go."

"Thanks Dana, you're a peach!" Janine grabbed her coat and scarf and slipped it around her shoulders. "I'll be back in the morning, goodnight!"

"Goodnight."

Janine left the old firehouse and disappeared into the night.

Dana looked around the garage admiring the enhanced equipment and overall restoration of the near century old building. Glancing over Janine's desk is when she noticed that Janine had accidentally left her purse behind.

"Oh, shoot." Dana grabbed the small bag from the edge of the desk and rushed out the door to try and find Janine before she was gone. "Janine? Janine, you left your purse!"

"D-Dana..." A hoarse male voice called her name as a tall figure suddenly fell forward into her arms. "K...Kismet... Kismet..."

Bleeding and weak Egon had finally made his way back to HQ.

"Oh my God! Egon!" Dana managed to hold onto his heavy form as he began to lose consciousness. "Come on, come on!" She encouraged as she took one of his long arms and wrapped it around her shoulders. Wrapping her own arm around his waist she poorly lifted and carried the injured man from the sidewalk into the firehouse. "Ray! Help! It's Egon!" She called out as Egon began coughing between his panting breaths. "Ray! Help us! Egon's hurt!"

With Ray's help Dana was able to carry Egon into the firehouse and off the sidewalk. The tall, lanky scientist was weak and tired from his painful, lonely excursion. The small blood stain on his chest was all Dana needed to see to know that her friend was in serious trouble. Working together the two managed to carry Egon across the garage and up the wide staircase into the rec room on the second floor.

"Here," Ray took a firm hold on Egon's arm and wrapped it around his shoulders while Dana kept her firm grip on his first arm. "we need to get him upstairs. Lay him on the billiard table. It's the best we have for now." Ray instructed Dana to help him lay Egon down on the green felt of the billiard table in the rec room in lieu of a proper diagnostics table or bed.

Before laying him down Dana slipped the brown jacket from Egon's shoulders while Ray awkwardly but carefully set him down on the table. Lifting his legs up and over the edge Egon was able to lay flat on his back. The damaged fabric surrounding the blood stain on Egon's chest was charred and still smoldering with a faint tuft of smoke from the ethereal lightning strike. The smell of ozone and iron was heavy in the air. Egon himself was conscious but unaware of what was happening around him. Every so often Egon would mutter the word "kismet" between panting coughs as he still struggled to catch his breath.

Reacting to the situation in a calm collected manner Ray pressed his fingers to Egon's neck for a brief pulse check, then used a small flashlight to check his pupils. "Dana, there's an emergency medical kit in Egon's lab." Ray clicked off the light and put his hands on Egon's shoulders to keep his injured friend from moving around too much. "It's on the bottom shelf of the bookcase on the far wall."

Moving quickly without hesitation Dana made her way quickly down the stairs and into the basement lab as she began looking for the kit inside the cluttered room.

"Egon? Egon!" Ray put his hands on the sides on Egon's face in an attempt to make his friend look at him and focus. "What the hell happened? What did this? Where did you go? When did this happen?" It was then Ray noticed that Egon wasn't wearing his glasses. "How'd you find your way back here?" He patted Egon's face to try and make him focus. "Egon you have to tell us what happened! Speak to us!"

"Found it." Dana carried in the kit, which was contained in a large rectangular plastic case marked with a red cross symbol on its lid, and set it at the end of the billiard table near Egon's legs. "What can I do to help?"

Ray snapped open the latches on the kit and began rummaging around inside. "Keep him still. We don't know what happened to him and I don't want to chance him exasperating his condition."

Dana put a hand on Egon's arm and felt how much his entire body was trembling from pain. "He's shaking so much." Unfastening the the sleeve of Egon's shirt Dana rolled the material up to his bicep and exposed his arm. She softly rested her hand on his arm and looked at Ray. "He feels like he's burning up!"

Ray stopped looking through the kit and pressed the back of his hand against the side of Egon's neck. "You're right. Whatever happened to him must've put him in a type of thermal shock. His body is still having an adverse reaction to the source of the injury."

Without a word Dana walked into the connected kitchen and put a clean cloth under the faucet. Wringing out the excess cool water she returned to Egon and smoothed the compress over his forehead. "I hope we can help him."

"We will." Ray reassured her as he pulled out a traditional stethoscope from the kit and hung it around his neck. "We just have to be smart about it. First, we need to figure out what caused this kind of wound. It looks like an electrical discharge, but I've never seen an electrical blast that was so focused on a single area without some kind of lightning rod to hone in on. Something else was at play here, I can feel it."

"You mean this couldn't be from an accident or something natural?" Dana asked as she gently held down Egon's shoulders as his body randomly spasmed on the table.

"Afraid not." Ray reluctantly confirmed. "If anything this was the work of something supernatural."

"K-kismet." Egon stammered from his dazed state. "Kismet..."

Dana had never heard the term before. "What is 'kismet'? He keeps saying that."

From the top of the stairway of the rec room came the response. "'Kismet' is another term for apocalypse. Obscure but just as threatening." Peter had finally arrived at the firehouse. Tossing off his tweed coat he made his way into the rec room and leaned over Egon with wide concerned eyes. "What happened here?"

"Peter!" Dana was so relieved to see him. "We don't know what happened to Egon. He just stumbled in off the sidewalk."

Ray looked at the newly arrived scientist with actual fear in his eyes. "We don't know what did this, or where he was when it happened."

"Oh, great." Peter dryly retorted as he picked up Egon's exposed arm and counted the injured man's pulse. "The entire city is going to be swallowed up in a ghost-storm and the brains of our outfit just got fried!"

Ray shook his head as he turned his full attention from Egon to Peter. "I'm not sure how to help him. Peter, you have medical training, what do you think?"

Peter put Egon's arm back down on the table slowly. "I think he needs to see a real doctor."

Egon's hand suddenly reached up from the table and grabbed onto Peter's arm and held tight. "No. No doctor... No... hospital." His gaze was still unfocused as he stared blankly at the ceiling, but at least now they knew he was still conscious and somewhat coherent.

Peter gently loosened Egon's grip from his arm and replaced his arm on the table. "Okay 'Spenz'. No hospital." He gave Ray and Dana an inquisitive look. "But can you tell us why?"

Egon didn't respond to the question, he was unable to speak through his coughs or lack of breath.

"Good reason." Peter looked up at Ray and then Dana. "Now what?"

Ray rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, in the process his fingertips brushed against the stethoscope still dangling around his neck. Taking the device he handed it to Peter and stared at his colleague defiantly. "Now you take charge. Do what you can and we'll help."

Peter refused to accept the stethoscope. "Ray, I'm a doctor of psychiatry, not medicine."

"You're the most qualified of any of us here. You can do this, we know you can." Ray grabbed Peter's hand and put the stethoscope in his forcibly opened palm. "Now do it."

Dana looked down at Egon and into at his unusually glassy and distant eyes. "Please Peter. You have to try."

Sighing and rolling his eyes Peter put the ear pieces of the stethoscope in place and took Ray's spot beside the table. "Alright fine, but don't expect me to drop his pants or get him to turn his head and cough." Running the bell of the stethoscope over Egon's chest Peter listened carefully, unsure of what it is he was supposed to be listening for exactly.

Egon flinched as the cold metal made contact with his unnaturally heated flesh.

"Well Peter?" Ray asked anxiously. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure." Peter confessed as he stood up straight and removed the stethoscope. "He's alive, he's breathing and his heart is beating. Beating really fast, granted, but aside from the gaping hole in his chest I don't think he's in any real danger for the moment."

Egon began coughing again as he still continued to pant for a full breath.

Ray looked back at the wound and gently lifted a piece of the charred fabric of the ruined shirt away from the injury site. "Look Peter, electrical scorching. First and second degree burns, possible third degree at the center of the strike. We should analyze the injury for any sign of psychokinetic reading."

"Good idea Ray." Peter's tone was a mixture of sarcasm and sincerity. "You check him for any sign of the boogieman, and I'll do something actually useful."

Ray ignored Peter's snide comments and left the rec room for Egon's lab.

"What can I do?" Dana asked sympathetically as she kept one hand on Egon's shoulder in a supportive manner.

Peter rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and looked down at his injured friend. "Get some sterilized basins and wash your hands. I'm going to need a woman's touch for this."

Ray returned to the rec room looking frazzled. "I can't find the PKE meter! Dana, did Egon have it when he came back to the firehouse?"

"I'm not sure." Dana was in the kitchen. After pulling her thick brown hair back in a crude, messy ponytail she began washing her hands. She had to shout over the running water in the sink, as well as the small TV still sitting on the nearby counter. "No, I don't think so."

"Maybe he dropped it when he got hurt?" Peter logically suggested as pulled out several items from the medical kit. "I don't see his glasses anywhere, can't imagine him leaving those behind or misplacing them unless there was a damn good reason." He looked down at Egon as his colleague coughed again. "I say getting struck down by a vengeful ghost is a damn good reason."

"Maybe. Or maybe it got fried in the strike." Ray's tone was heavy with growing doubt. "We need to figure out what happened to Egon before we can even begin to help him."

Dana was back at Peter's side with two clean metallic basins in her hands. "Did you check his coat pockets? He was still wearing it when he ran into me."

"Good idea." Ray retrieved Egon's coat and began checking the pockets. "Got it! Or..." Ray had found the PKE meter but the device was just as scorched and damaged as Egon himself. "what's left of it!"

Peter remained engaged in conversation as he and Dana took care of Egon. "Can it be fixed?"

"I'm not sure." Ray admitted as he examined the heavily damaged meter.

"Well, does it have a previous reading still recorded?"

Using his thumb to clear the smoky smudges away from the display Ray looked at the last reading that the meter had recorded. "Uh, according to the display whatever it was Egon found buried the needle! I haven't seen a reading this high since our last encounter with Vigo the Carpathian! This is incredible!"

"I think Egon would have chosen a different word for it Ray. Now," Peter was almost done taking care of Egon's burn. "can you tell us where this 'incredible' reading was taken?"

"Uh..." Ray gave Peter a despondent look. "No."

"Anything on Egon?"

Ray ran the meter over Egon's chest and watched as the meter struggled but failed to give a reading. "Unknown."

Dana was watching Egon's pain etched face when a flash on the TV screen caught her attention. It was a breaking news story about the storm. "Hey guys, look."

Ray and Peter looked toward the small TV screen and saw a young news reporter standing outside a large building while motioning toward the swirling storm clouds in the sky.

"Hey, turn it up!" Ray told himself as he upped the volume on the small TV's knob. "They're talking about the storm."

"Ten bucks says Egon was there." Peter blatantly wagered.

Dana recognized the building in the background. "That's the Mercado Hotel. I stayed there when I first moved to New York and was apartment hunting."

"What's going on at the Mercado, Ray?" Peter finished cleaning the injury. "Dana, can you hold him up so I can bandage him?"

Ray answered Peter's question without looking away from the TV screen. "Apparently the hotel roof was struck twice by lightning! The entire building was vacated and it doesn't have any power. The police are sectioning off the building and no one is allowed inside."

"Lightning, huh?" Peter gave Dana a smarmy look as he wrapped the white gauze around Egon's chest. "You owe me ten bucks!"

Ray turned off the TV and returned his attention to the damaged PKE meter from Egon's coat pocket. Checking over the device thoroughly and curiously the good scientist was bound and determined to fix the delicate instrument. The glass display for the meter had been caked over in a dark film from smoke, making it nearly impossible to see the numbers or see where the needle was resting. A layer of charred soot along the handle reeked of ozone and copper creating a sickly sweet smell in the room.

"We have to check out that hotel." Ray decided vehemently as he continued to fuss over the meter in his hands. "After we get Egon taken care of we need to head out there and figure exactly what happened on that roof. Tonight!"

"Great idea." Peter was obviously not thrilled with the prospect of checking into such an unusual if not dangerous location. "But what about Egon? He can't be left here alone."

Egon himself was still in a daze. His coughing continued as he muttered 'kismet' in between each painful sounding cough that wracked his entire body.

"Good point." Ray thought quickly and came up with the obvious solution as he glanced about the room casually. "Hey, Dana, could you-"

"Yes, of course." She was about to volunteer when Ray asked for her assistance. "I'll do everything I can from here." Looking down at Egon and seeing someone who had always been so focused and alert weak and helpless seemed more ethereal than any of the ghosts she had personally dealt with in the past. "You've all helped me and Oscar so much before, now it's my turn."

"Thanks Dana. We're not keeping score here, but thanks all the same!" Ray was genuinely grateful to have the kind woman as a friend. Pocketing the meter Ray put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "He'll be better off in his bunk. Peter, let's move."

"Sure, dead-lift some dead-weight. No problem!"

It was an awkward but necessary move. Peter and Ray managed to lift Egon up from the billiard table and clumsily carry their injured friend from the rec room to the adjoining dormitory. With Peter holding one arm and Ray holding onto the other the two men were able to heft the lanky scientist off the billiard table and carry him over to his bunk. Unsure of the best way to help Egon, without disrespecting his request to not see a doctor, it was decided that by isolating him and letting him rest was the only logical option.

"You got him?" Ray checked as he made sure he had a firm grip on Egon's arm while easing the injured man down onto the bunk.

"Mostly." Peter was never one to jump at physical work, but he did his part. "Just keep moving."

"Okay, lay him down." Ray made sure he didn't move too quickly or accidentally jostle Egon during the move.

After laying Egon down on the bunk Peter checked the bandages around his chest for any sign of contamination or fresh bleeding. Ray watched from the end of the bunk without a word. It was difficult for Ray to see his friend in such a dire condition. To distract himself from the bleak sight Ray resumed fussing over the damaged PKE meter.

"He's okay." Peter reassured everyone with a sincere claim. "But if he gets worse before he gets better we have to take him to a hospital. I don't care what Egon says about it."

Egon was still panting for breath as if someone or something was crushing his chest. Through his unfocused eyes he stared at the ceiling continued to quietly mutter 'kismet' to no one.

Squaring his jaw Peter decided he needed to administer some kind of medication to Egon, even if it was only a temporary fix. Walking over to his own bunk Peter pulled a large trunk out from under the modest bed with a strong heft. 'Venkman' was crudely spray painted in red across the lid of the black trunk. Popping open the lid he pulled out a small wooden box from the corner of the trunk concealed beneath several old newspaper clippings.

"What're you up to Venkman?" Ray asked curiously, only glancing up from the meter.

Peter took a clean syringe from its plastic wrapping and a small vial of a clear medication from the small box. After loading the medication into the syringe he pressed into the plunger to make sure there were no air bubbles or blockages in the needle.

"Peter?" Ray was now fully focused on what Peter was doing. "What are you doing, Peter?"

Walking over to Egon's bunk he checked his friend's pulse one more time. "Dana, could you go get the alcohol and a cotton ball?"

"Peter!" Ray nearly screamed as he had grown impatient with his lack of answers. "What're you going to do to Egon?!"

"A small dose of Thorazine to keep Egon's heart from beating out of his chest." Peter finally replied with a cold calculated tone. "I don't want his heart to fibrillate and stop."

Dana returned with the requested items in hand.

"Soak the cotton ball in alcohol and swab his arm," Peter put his fingers where he wanted to give the injection. "right here."

"Like this?" She asked as he swapped Egon's skin.

"Yeah, that's perfect." Peter expertly inserted the needle into the vein in Egon's arm, the Cephalic vein, and injected the medication.

The trio watched anxiously as Egon's breathing steadily slowed and he was no longer panting. His eyes shut as his drifted off into a deep slumber.

Peter checked his pulse one more time. "That's better." He remarked. "Now we can go check that hotel. Ready?"

Dana nodded in agreement as she stood beside the bunk. "You two should get over to that hotel right away. If anything happens I can try calling the hotel to let you know."

"Right." Peter stood up straight walked past Ray and smacked him on his shoulder, the swift motion was enough to cause Ray to almost drop the PKE meter in his hands. "Let's go Ray. Our public needs us."

Ray fumbled with the meter, nearly losing his grip. "Easy Venkman! This is still valuable-" The PKE meter suddenly screeched to life in Ray's hands. "equipment..."

"At least it works." Peter tried to turn a positive spin on the negative situation as he strolled to the top of the stairs "Now what?"

"Hold on." Ray ran the meter over Egon and arched his eyebrows as the needle spiked as it passed over the injury sight. "This is bad."

"We already knew that Ray. And we didn't need a fancy toy to tell us that." Peter sarcastically dismissed the comment as he stood at the top of the stairs. "You coming?"

"Just a sec!" Ray double checked the readings and the meter screeched again. "Just as I thought." He pocketed the meter. "Egon was struck by a electrically charged surge of psychokinetic energy."

Dana and Peter exchanged somewhat confused glances. "Meaning?" Peter asked dryly as he kept his place stubbornly.

"It means that someone very powerful and very dangerous is lurking over the roof of the Mercado. And if we don't stop it then the entire city could be struck down and left in ruins."

"That's a very deep meaning." Peter snipped while masking his concern for both Egon and the city. "Now... shall we?" He motioned to the staircase and for Ray to follow.

"Right. We better get going!" As he made his way to the stairs he turned and looked back at Dana. "Dana, if anything happens..."

"I can handle it." She sat on the edge of the bunk and pulled the blanket up and over Egon now sleeping form.

Ray gave her a confident nod before walking over to the stairs and pulled the car keys from his pocket. "Let's get going."

Peter mouthed "I love you." to Dana before leaving.

She smiled and whispered. "I love you too."

Walking over to the driver's side of Ecto-1 Peter extended his hands and motioned toward the keys. "I'm driving. You're too distracted by your toy."

Ray tossed the keys to his colleague as he climbed inside the car's passenger side. "Fine with me. I'd rather get this meter working anyway."

Pulling out of Ghostbusters HQ the Ecto-1 screamed to life with both its lights and sirens. The iconic hearse raced down the streets toward the Mercado Hotel without any traffic or hindrances whatsoever. It seemed as if all of New York had been deserted. The quiet of the streets was only disturbed by the siren atop Ecto-1 and the squealing of the tires through the increasingly dark night.

The dark blue swirling clouds of the ghostly storm seemed to thicken and surge with psychokinetic energy. Hovering over the hotel like a bat from the ceiling the storm itself was an ominous, unsettling sight to behold. As a brisk wind blew over the city the storm clouds spun around at a steady pace, threatening to drop down like a funnel and destroy everything it dared to touch.

"I don't like this Peter." Ray was using the freshly repaired PKE meter to scan the air as Ecto-1 neared the hotel. "These readings are already intense and we're still two blocks away from the hotel."

"Relax Ray. I'm sure that a storm of doom lingering over New York City only looks worse than it really is." Peter was using his well known sarcasm as a means of disguising his mounting fears. "Let's just check out the hotel and head back to the firehouse."

Ray shook his head as he rolled down his window and looked out toward the storm above. The air was thick with the smell of impending rain and ozone as it passed through his hair. The closer the car came to the hotel the more intense the smell and the more intense the wind blew as it encircled the seemingly targeted hotel.

Stopping the car on the street in front of the hotel it was evident that the entire building was deserted and powerless. Dark windows, dark doors and even the sign on the front of the hotel was dark. There was a line of police tape that blocked off the entrance of the building, but no police officers were patrolling the area.

"Ready?" Ray asked as he climbed out of the car and waved the PKE meter in front of the building. "This is definitely the source of the wild readings. Whatever happened to Egon must've happened here."

"Whatever you say, Ray." Peter joined Ray on the sidewalk beside the car. "Come on." He lifted the bright yellow police tape and slipped underneath it. "Let's get this over with."

"You can't cross the police tape!" Ray nearly shouted as he pointed at the border Peter just passed.

"Apparently I can." Peter retorted.

"But we-"

"Ray, how are we supposed to investigate the hotel unless we get inside the hotel?"

"Good point." Ray looked around suspiciously before quickly lifting up the tape, slipping beneath it and running inside the front doors past Peter. "Come on! Before someone sees us!"

Peter rolled his eyes as he followed Ray at a casual pace. "Yes, before someone sees. Good thing we didn't drive something completely conspicuous with lights, sirens or our business name and number printed on the sides."

Walking into the lobby of the hotel Ray and Peter found themselves surrounded by abandoned luggage, dropped bags and the sound of a buzzing from the receptionist's phone left off the hook.

"Something really bad must have happened here." Ray remarked on the dreary situation. "If the building was struck by lightning from the storm we should find electrical scorching at the point of impact."

"So the roof?" Peter gave Ray a strange look.

"Precisely." Ray made his way toward the elevator and pressed the call button. "Coming?"

"No."

"But why? We need to-"

"Because the elevator isn't coming, Ray." Peter pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose in a somewhat annoyed gesture. "There's no power. Remember?"

"Right." Ray took an embarrassed step to the side and looked for the doorway leading to the stairs. "I knew that!"

Peter was tired from the extensive amount of traveling he had just accomplished over the past few days, and his unspoken worry for Egon was only pushing him to his limits quicker. Following Ray to the stairwell he looked up and sighed with a heavy tone that echoed through the lengthy, tall corridor.

"Up." Ray commented, his own voice echoing like Peter. "This... might take a while."

"How many floors does the Mercado have?"

"Just a guess here, but I'd say... thirty-two."

"Great. When we reach the nineteenth floor you're going to carry me."

"Maybe we can get the power going again. The breaker must be in the basement." Ray suggested as just the thought of walking up thirty stories made his legs hurt.

"You go up, I'll go down." Peter decided as he turned on his heel and made his way to the basement at the bottom of the staircase, one level lower than the ground floor they started on.

In the poor lighting Peter found his way to the basement door and pushed it open only to find more darkness and emptiness. The hotel itself was creepy enough when there was no one around, but the basement was its own level of dark and disturbing.

"Where is that breaker box?" Peter muttered to himself as he pressed his hands against the walls to guide him into the large expansive room. "It better- OW!"

"Peter?" Ray called down from the staircase. "You okay?"

"Fine, fine." Peter pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead. "Just a concussion." With his opposite hand he found the low hanging pipe that was concealed in the darkness until he walked headfirst into it. "I'm fine."

Stumbling through the darkness Peter caught a glimpse of a faint green glow. Curious about the ethereal, almost unnatural light he walked down the narrowly lit corridor thanks to the green glow and edged around the corner.

"What the...?" A large machine powered by some unknown force was glowing with life in a large opening in the rear of the basement. "What kind of nutty science project is this?"

"Peter!" Ray called again. "Hurry up! We don't know how long we have!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Peter turned his attention from the machine. "I'm on it! Now where's that, aha!" Mounted on the wall just beside the end of the corridor he had walked down was the large breaker box. Popping it open and using the green glow of the machine Peter was able to find the main power switch and flipped it back on.

The building surged to life as the restored power filled every floor of the hotel. Light bulbs shone to life, the elevator doors opened and the sign outside the hotel reignited with an almost inviting brightness.

"Ta-da!" He closed the breaker box. "Damn I'm good!"

The machine behind Peter had lost its eerie green glow in the restored light.

"Huh. That's some crazy furnace."

"That did it!" Ray yelled down a third time. "Meet me at the elevator!"

"Where else would I meet you?" Peter muttered to himself as he was able to far more easily make his way back through the basement in the light and rejoin Ray on the ground floor.

Reaching the ground floor Peter saw Ray standing in front of the elevator as he waited for the doors to open. The lobby was nice and bright but the area still felt heavy and awkward with a foreboding weight.

The doors to the elevator parted with a 'ding'. As Ray and Peter stepped inside the elevator car they noticed a few drops of somewhat fresh blood on the floor and faint bloody smudges on the walls.

"You don't think..." Ray felt his stomach knot as his thoughts went back to Egon.

"I don't know Ray." Peter looked up at the ceiling to look away from the disturbing stains as he pressed the button for the top floor. "And I don't want to know."

The doors shut with a slow shudder and the elevator began its long ascent to the roof of the hotel.

* * *

Back at Ghostbusters headquarters Dana kept vigil over Egon as he rested easily in his bunk. Unable to stand the thick silence that penetrated every brick of the old firehouse she had turned the small TV back and on and waited any updates on the storm or the hotel.

Flipping through the various channels she came across one static filled station after another.

"What's the matter with the reception?" She asked herself as she grew increasingly frustrated. "Can't one thing go right tonight?"

As she leaned on the counter with a heavy doubt on her shoulders Dana turned her gaze back to Egon as he slept int he bunk. He was breathing slowly but deeply as the medication administered by Peter coursed through his veins. No longer coughing or muttering it seemed as though the injured scientist was well on his way to recovering from his devastating injury.

"Peter, what's going on? Why do these bizarre things keep happening?"

* * *

Reaching the top floor of the hotel the elevator doors opened and the two exploring scientists stepped outside the car and into the empty hallway. Just like the lobby on the ground floor many abandoned suitcases and bags littered the ground as hotel guests fled the building out of fear, panic and frustration.

"Geez, you'd think there was a rapture or something!" Ray tried to joke but quickly found his comment to be of poor taste. "Sorry..."

"It's okay." Peter was surprisingly empathetic. "You didn't mean anything by it."

Feeling ashamed of his tactlessness Ray followed behind Peter quietly as he resumed scanning the area with the PKE meter.

"Sounds like we're heading in the right direction." Peter was using the high pitched squeals and chirps of the meter as a guide as he walked down the halls. "I think there's a roof access at the end of this hall."

"Let's just hope we can find some answers once we're there."

"There." Peter spotted the door, still propped open, leading to the roof. "And I bet you another ten bucks that this is how Egon got to the roof first."

"I bet you're right."

As Peter walked through the door he heard a distinct 'crunch' under his foot. Bending down he picked up the offending, crushed object and held it up for Ray to see. "Yeah, I'm right." In his hand he held the broken frames and lenses of Egon's lost glasses. "He was here."

Ray swallowed nervously as watched small fragments of broken glass fall from the damaged frames. "We better be careful. We still don't know what caused this or what could be waiting for us."

Peter stepped back and pushed Ray ahead of him. "You lead!"

"Thanks Peter, you're a good friend."

"And a better lover."

"What?"

"What?" Peter replied feigning innocence. "I didn't say anything."

The PKE meter suddenly spiked and drew both men's attention to the device. There was something very powerful on the roof, and it seemed to be growing in strength by the second.

Approaching the rooftop the meter continued to spike, squeal and chirp as it picked up very strong and fluctuating psychokinetic readings.

"Oh boy..." Ray was wisely nervous about continuing any further. "This is big, VERY big."

The storm clouds above began rumble with thunder and flash with streaks of lightning.

"Ray, let's go back." Peter put his hand on Ray's shoulder and tried to pull him back inside the stairwell of the roof access. In the process he noticed the hairs on the back his hand beginning to stand up from building static in the air. "Let's go back NOW."

"But we're so close to identifying the source of the disturbances, maybe even the source of the storm itself!" Ray rebutted as he watched in a trance as the needle of the PKE meter danced back and forth. "If we leave now-"

"MOVE!" Peter yelled as he pulled Ray back inside the stairwell causing both men to fall to the ground.

A bolt of lightning struck the roof where Ray had been standing, leaving a smoldering crater in its wake.

Laying on the ground of the stairwell, staring with wide eyes and a slacked jaw at the smoldering black crater that burned into the roof right where he had just been standing, Ray was at a loss for words. When Peter pulled Ray back into the stairwell out of harm's range Peter had lost his balance and Ray had fallen on top of Peter's legs. The two men laid in a crumpled pile as they tried to figure out what the hell they just witnessed and what caused it.

Thunder rumbled angrily from the clouds as streaks of lightning danced through the thick masses of ethereal energy. "Kismet." A deep, angry voice snarled out through the swirling clouds. "Prepare."

A strong wind gusted across the rooftop and slammed the door shut, dividing the Ghostbusters from the rooftop and storm.

"Well that was quite the adrenaline rush!" Peter commented but was perplexed by the two words of warning given by the paranormal entity existing in the storm overhead. "What the hell was that all about?" He cocked his head to the side to try and get the sore feeling out of his neck from the fall. "And what does 'kismet' have to do with it? And 'prepare' for what?!"

"What... What just happened?!" Ray stammered nervously as his entire body began to shake with reasonable fear. "We could've been killed!"

Peter sat upright and tried to pull his legs out from under Ray's heavy weight. "I said 'move'." He reminded Ray of his warning before they fell back into the stairwell together.

"I... I was almost..." He slowly turned his head away from the shut door and looked at Peter. "You just... Saved my..."

"You're welcome." Peter was still trying to get up. "Now, please, get off me!"

"Oh, sorry..." On shaky arms Ray pushed himself up from the ground and off of Peter's legs. "Uh, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Peter stood up and brushed the dirt from his jacket and backside. "Now, is that proof enough that this is where Egon was when he was struck down by the wrath of some 'demigod wannabe'?"

"Y-yeah." Ray was still shaking and struggling to compose himself after the close call. "And I think... I think the PKE meter got an accurate enough reading to... to..."

"'To...' Do what, Ray?" Peter was growing impatient with Ray's delayed responses as well as reactions. "Speak boy, come on. Speak!"

"If we can use the collected data from the storm," Ray pressed a trembling hand to his face as he desperately attempted to gather his thoughts. "we could possible identify the source of the ghostly storm, pinpoint the exact location of the ethereal interference and possibly stop the storm and stop whatever that... 'thing' is who attacked us before New York is overrun or destroyed!"

"Good idea Ray." Peter pulled Ray after him down the stairwell. "Now, let's get out of here before someone notices that this supposedly abandoned hotel isn't quite so abandoned. You know, with all the lights and screaming going on."

"Yeah, yeah." Ray's legs were quaking with fear and adrenaline. "We need to get back to HQ. I want to get this data analyzed and check in on Egon."

* * *

Dana refreshed the cold compress and replaced it over Egon's forehead. He had been resting seemingly well after being given some medication, but he was still very hot if not feverish.

"Come on, Egon." Dana softly spoke to her injured friend. "I've known you too long. You're too stubborn and curious to just sleep through this."

Egon suddenly took a deep gasping breath as if something had knocked the wind from his body.

"Egon?" She put her hand on his arm as her instincts told her that something was wrong. "Egon, can you hear me?"

Suddenly Egon's entire body went rigid as his head was thrown back and his entire body was wracked with violent muscle spasms. His eyes were open but rolled to the back of his head as his own body rebelled against him.

"Egon!" Dana pressed her hands against his shoulders in an attempt to keep him as still as possible during the seizure.

Conflicted Dana couldn't decided if she should hold the seizing man down or try to get the phone to call for help. It seemed reckless, if not just plain cruel to leave him alone; but she knew she couldn't help him alone.

The sound of the garage doors opening downstairs caught her attention. "Thank God!" As soon as she heard the Ecto-1 park and the car doors open she called out for help. "Peter! Ray! Help us!"

"Dana?!" Peter's voice carried an uncharacteristic lilt of fear. "Dana, what's going on?"

The sound of heavy footsteps racing up the stairs echoed loudly through the old firehouse. Peter and Ray practically leapt up the stairs as they rushed into the bunk room only to find Dana doing her best to help a seizing Egon.

"Egon!" Ray moved first and helped Dana to try and hold him down by using his weight on Egon's flailing shoulders. "When did this happen?"

"Just before you got back, a few seconds ago."

Peter returned to his footlocker and the small box that contained his small selection of medications. Looking through the various glass vials Peter selected the drug Lorazepam and a fresh sterilized syringe.

"Hold him still." Peter grumbled as he filled the syringe with the proper dosage of medication and then kneeled down on Egon's forearm in an attempt to find the Cephalic vein again. "Ray, keep his arm steady."

Finding the vein Peter carefully injected the drug and retracted the needle from his arm.

Egon's body slowly relaxed as his muscles stopped spasming and he became still.

Dana and Ray released their grip and stepped away from the bunk and watched Egon nervously. Peter grabbed Egon's wrist to check for a pulse only to feel his own heart skip a beat. Pressing his fingers to Egon's neck Peter's mind began racing.

"No, no, no! You're not going to leave us like this!" Peter demanded as he interlaced his fingers together and began compressing Egon's chest.

"Oh God..." Dana put a hand to her mouth in absolute disbelief at the terrifying sight. "No."

Ray felt weak and helpless as he watched Peter alone trying to save Egon's life.

"Help me move him onto the floor." Peter instructed cooly. "Come on Ray, move it."

Without a word Ray helped Peter slid Egon from the bunk and onto the floor while Peter continued to perform a far more effective CPR on their down colleague.

"Come on Egon!" Peter was losing strength as he struggled to revive Egon. "Come on!" He paused only long enough to check for a pulse and still find nothing. "No!" Peter slammed his fist down on Egon's chest to try and get his heart to start beating again. "No, Egon!" Over and over again he thumped down on Egon's chest. "Come on Spenz, we need you!"

"Peter." Ray spoke softly as he bowed his head, accepting the grim reality that had just transpired. "Peter, let him go."

Ignoring Ray Peter continued to pound on Egon's chest.

"Peter? Peter please!" Dana kneeled down beside Peter and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Stop."

Peter gave Egon's chest one last firm thump before his arms went limp from exhaustion. His blue eyes welled up with tears of frustration and sorrow as he stopped his heroic endeavor.

Ray put a hand on Peter's shoulder sympathetically as he too began to mourn the loss of their friend. "You tried Peter. You did everything you could."

Peter stared down at Egon's lifeless body and held back a sob. In his mind he retraced his steps and every action he took to aid the injured man, it was then he remembered one last resort he could use.

"Not everything..." Peter broke free from Dana's arms as he shot up from the floor and tore into his medical kit. Pulling a preloaded syringe from a secondary compartment concealed beneath the other medicinal vials he dropped to his knees beside Egon and pulled the white gauze down and away from the muscle tissue directly over Egon's heart. Inserting the needle directly into Egon's heart Peter injected the drug and resumed compressions. "Alright Egon, this is for all the monkeys in the barn!"

The used syringe rolled to the ground beside Egon's body revealing the label: "Adrenaline".

"Come on Egon..." Ray quietly whispered. "Come on."

Dana held Egon's hand tightly as Peter performed one last round of CPR.

A sudden gasp of air caught everyone's attention as Egon took in a deep breath of much needed air.

"Egon!" Peter pressed his fingers to Egon's neck as he smiled triumphantly. "I knew you wouldn't leave us behind!"

Ray slumped down onto the ground with utmost relief as he realized that Peter had done it. He had saved Egon's life.

Dana was just as relieved as Peter and Ray and held Egon's hand as tight as she possibly could.

"Let's get him back on the bunk." Peter suggested casually. "And make a new rule that no one is allowed to die while on the clock, okay?"

Ray locked himself away in the basement of the firehouse and preoccupied his mind with the data collected from the Mercado Hotel rooftop. Desperate to find answers to the ghostly storm that threatened the entire city, and to get the image of Egon's lifeless body from his mind, Ray worked tirelessly through the rest of the evening and well into the night.

Peter and Dana took it upon themselves to keep vigil over Egon, ready at a moment's notice to react. They both agreed that if Egon had another seizure or stopped breathing again that they'd call 911 and explain things to Egon later.

Dana walked into the bunk room with a fresh cup of coffee in hand and sat beside Peter on the bunk beside Egon's. "What did you find at the hotel? Anything useful?"

"Maybe." Peter kept his focus on Egon as he spoke. "It was definitely where Egon had been investigating, and it was where he got hurt." He pulled Egon's broken glasses from his pocket. "We were almost struck down by the storm too."

"What? Lightning strike?" Dana was as shocked as she was impressed.

"Well, it sure didn't look like a union strike."

Dana playfully smacked Peter's leg. "I thought lightning didn't strike the same place twice." She remarked as she sipped her coffee and offered it to Peter.

"Metaphorically yes, but when you break the logistics of the billions of years that the Earth has existed and trillions of storms that have raged all over the planet during those billions of year, I think it's safe to say that at least once before lighting has in fact struck in the same place at least twice." He sipped the coffee and flashed her his trademarked cheesy grin. "So the roof of the hotel being struck-" His eyes lit up as an interesting idea ran through his head.

"What is it?" Dana could read his face all too well and knew that something was brewing in sick little mind.

"I think you just gave me the answer." He kissed her cheek and took off for the stairs, only to stop at the top of stairs and turn back quickly. "If anything happens to Egon-"

"I know, I know." Dana smiled warmly. "Panic and scream, right?" She teased playfully to try and lighten the mood.

"Right!" Peter responded quickly as he jogged down the stairs. "Scream real loud, 'kay?"

Entering the secluded and dimly basement at an impressively quiet pace Peter spotted Ray hunched over a table with the latest data printed out on long, connected sheets of paper clutched between his fingers. The table, a large computer modem and monitor rested on the edge of the table with the massive printer on the other side. Ray sat in the middle of the table on a very old, very worn out stool. The dull glow of the green light from the ghost containment unit created dark and eerie shadows that seemed to loom over everything and everyone in the room.

Never one to pass up an opportunity to mess with someone, especially a good friend like Dr. Ray Stantz, Peter crept up slowly on Ray and grabbed firmly onto his shoulder. "Hey! What's that?"

"Geez!" Ray jumped in his seat, his knees banging into the underside of the table painfully. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." Peter lied through his smug grin. "Couldn't resist. So what's this?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the table and pulled the long paper trail of data out of Ray's hands. There was a long wavy and jagged line strewn all up and down the paper as it stretched the entire width. "Looks like something Oscar drew."

"That's the energy read out taken from the building." Ray replied as he rubbed his hands over his newly bruised knees. "Notice anything unusual?"

"About the readings or the paper? Kind of hard to tell in this poor lighting."

"What you're holding is the readings from the PKE meter when Egon scanned the roof of the Mercado." Ray took the far end of the still connected paper and handed it to Peter. "And this is the readings we took just a few hours later."

Peter compared the two different layouts and furrowed his brow. "Ray, this can't be right." He decided as he held up the two papers side by side. "The PKE meter was damaged when Egon was injured. This can't possibly be accurate."

"It is." Ray sighed and rested his head in his hand as he leaned tiredly against the table. "I've checked it and re-checked it. Three times."

"But if this is correct: our readings are one hundred percent accurate with no room for errors, then that means..."

"Yeah, I know." He glanced upward at Peter with a forlorn look in his usually calm eyes. "Whatever this phenomenon is it's stronger, more powerful and far more dangerous than Gozer or Vigo ever were. We're in trouble."

Peter tossed the papers dismissively in the air and folded his arms together. "Great. Business as usual."

"Peter, I don't think we can do anything to stop it. Not this time."

"Why's that? Because Winston is out of town and Egon is out of commission? And no authority figure in this city ever listens to us? And the mayor doesn't like us? And if we admit to sneaking into the Mercado we'll end up in jail? Again."

"No." Ray ran both of his hands over his tired face as he sighed again, his whole body tired and his mind becoming just as fatigued. "Because we don't have enough time to stop this. Not anymore."

"Time? Exactly how much time do we have?"

Ray handed Peter another piece of paper with his calculations drawn out. "The city has less than forty eight hours before the storm reaches critical mass and levels every building in a six hundred mile radius."

"Great. How much time do we need?"

"This is just a rough estimation, but... I'd say at least ninety seven hours."

"Consecutive?"

"Yes, Peter. Consecutive."

"We'll be fine." Peter was as laidback and carefree as usual. "Speaking of fine," he tossed aside the paper in his hand and leaned down casually on the table in Ray's direction. "I think Dana may have given us a crucial piece of information about our little predicament."

"What's that?" Ray lifted his head just enough to look at Peter.

"You know that saying about lightning never striking the same place twice, right?"

Ray nodded affirmatively, while unsure of what it was Peter was hinting toward.

"Well, what are the odds that the roof of the Mercado would be struck multiple times in the same night, by the same storm? AND, here's the kicker: what are the odds of it suddenly doing so despite never having unleashed any reported lightning strikes in the, what is now; prior sixteen days it's been hovering over the city?"

Ray's eyebrow arched inquisitively. "What are you suggesting Venkman? That the storm is self aware? Maybe even conscious?"

"These are some pretty extreme psychokinetic readouts aren't they?" Peter asked as he motioned to the dropped papers on the floor and scattered across the table surface.

"You're right." Ray felt a rush of 'eureka' washing over him. "But how? How is this storm conscious? Something must be channeling energy to the storm. But what? And where is it?"

"Hey Ray," Peter glanced up at the green lightbulb over the containment unit and thought back to his time spent stumbling around in the dark basement of the Mercado in an attempt to locate the break box. "did I tell you about the very interesting furnace located in the deep, dark basement of the haunted hotel?"

"Furnace? What about it?"

"Well, for one it glows in the dark. As in green. Against darkness." Peter was picturing the very item in his mind as he spoke of it. "And as soon as the lights came back on the green glow went away. Now, what does that tell you?"

"Seeing as a hotel would only have access to a traditional gas furnace and not a nuclear reactor, I'd say that furnace you saw wasn't really a furnace."

"It's some kind of containment unit. Someone built a machine designed to create this ghost storm." Peter answered definitively. "But why? And whom?"

Ray shook his head. "Can't say for sure. We have to go back to the Mercado and check it out." Ray stood up quickly from his stool and in the process stumbled slightly as the fresh bruises on his knees protested the full weight of his body. "Ow! You coming?"

"No." Peter was determined and didn't budge. "And neither are you."

"What? Why? If we-"

"Ray, we're not going to leave Egon and Dana here alone. And you, you my excitable and bushy haired friend, are too tired to think straight. So you're going to stay here and I'm going to check out the furnace. Alone."

"But-"

"No buts. Or ifs or ands." Peter declared as he jumped down from the table. "It'll be easier for one person to get back inside the hotel. And it'll be even easier if that one person already has some idea of the layout of the basement."

"Fine, you're right. I hate to admit it but you are right." Ray stopped trying argue. "Take the PKE meter and the camera. We'll need as much information about it as possible."

"Easy." Peter cheerfully declared as he patted Ray on the shoulder. "What could go wrong?"

Ray flashed a very worried look. "Maybe I should go with you-"

"Nope. You're staying here. Stay!" Peter pointed at Ray as he backed out of the basement and ascended the stairs while continuing to walk backward. "Stay. Good boy!" As he disappeared from sight at the top of the stairs he called out one more time to Ray. "I'm taking the car, dad! Be back before curfew, honest!"

Ray chuckled to himself as Peter left in his usual tactless style. Slowly walking up and out of the basement he caught sight of the taillights of Ecto-1 pulling out of the garage and turning left down the street.

"I just hope we're not too late." Ray looked up at the second staircase leading to the second story of the building. "For more than one reason."

Forcing himself to walk up to the second floor Ray felt an intense guilt begin weighing down on his shoulders. A part of him felt as though he was somehow responsible for Egon becoming injured, while an even bigger part of his felt as though he had abandoned his friend when he needed help the most because he was ready to just give up and let Egon go. It was Peter who refused to stop and managed to revive Egon, literally bringing the injured man back from the dead.

As his foot landed on the top step he heard the floor creak and groan which brought him out of his self induced guilt trip. Through the always opened doorway he could see Egon asleep on his bunk and knew that Dana was sitting on the bunk across from him, keeping vigil.

Walking to the door frame he stopped and glanced inside the quiet, peaceful bunk room and stared at Egon as he slept.

"He's okay." Dana whispered to Ray. "Where'd Peter go? I heard the car leave."

"Oh, he'll be back soon." Ray replied without looking away from Egon. "He's going to check out the basement of the Mercado. We're pretty sure that the answer lies in a machine that was constructed for the sole purpose of creating the storm."

"The hotel wasn't designed by that Shandor lunatic, was it?"

"No, that was the first thing I checked when I went down to analyze the data. Ivo Shador has nothing to do this building." Ray awkwardly rubbed at his chin as he continued to theorize and calculate in his head. "But I wouldn't be surprised if the Mercado doesn't have some sort of shady history behind it. I'll go down and check the old archives and-"

"Ray?" Dana softly interrupted. "Get some rest. Please."

Looking at his bunk beside Egon's he realized how much more he wanted to sleep than study. Despite his undeniable fatigue Ray was compelled to continue his research on the storm. "I can't. There's too much work to be done and without Winston available we can't afford to lose anytime."

"And Egon." Dana knew what Ray was really thinking about. "It's not your fault that Egon is down and Winston isn't here; and that doesn't mean you have to take on everybody's responsibility. If you don't stop to take care of yourself then you're going to collapse. And then what?"

Ray looked back at the bunk and realized that Dana was right.

"I'll wake you if anything happens." Dana encouraged. "Now, sleep."

Walking over to his bunk he reluctantly laid down on top of the covers and shut his eyes. "Alright, but for no more than two hours. Then right back to work! Agreed?"

"Agreed." Dana was just glad to see him finally taking a moment to relax. "I'll wake you up in two hours, not a second longer."

Looking back at Egon she smiled and whispered to him. "You mean too much to everyone here. Please come back to us soon."

The gathered ever darkening storm clouds thickened over the Mercado and filled the air with the scent of impending rain. Low rumbles of thunder echoed over the city and shook the foundation of the building. The uncommonly empty streets of New York amplified every sound that emanated from the heart of the deadly storm. Brief flashes of lightning could be see sparking across the clouds as the ethereal storm continued to build in intensity if not pure energy.

"You too, Peter." Dana whispered to herself as she caught sight of the storm through the nearby window behind her. "Come back soon. We need you, too."

Parking one block away from the Mercado Hotel the bold Dr. Venkman found himself walking alone down the dark, deserted street. The storm had frightened many New Yorkers over the past few days, may of whom had fled the city after having witnessed the near return of Gozer the Gozerian and the near resurrection of Vigo the Carpathian.

With the camera dangling from its strap around his neck Peter confidently strolled toward the ominous building fearlessly.

"It's quiet." Peter commented to himself as he looked up at the swirling storm encircling the sky over the hotel. A low rumble of thunder echoed from the dark blue clouds and shook the sidewalk beneath his feet. "Never mind."

The police tape that had been wrapped around the front of the building to deter any nosy onlookers was still in place. Just as he and Ray had done before Peter lifted the tape and slipped underneath it easily, pushing open the unlocked front doors of the hotel and stood in the vacated lobby with an inquisitive glint in his eyes.

"Hello?" He instinctively called out only to receive the echo of his own voice as the reply. "Come out, come out where ever you are..." His voice sang out playfully as he coolly walked through the lobby and toward the large door leading to the stairwell. Checking the door of the basement he knocked on it playfully and pushed it open. "Are you descent?" No response from the empty room. "Good! I won't peek..."

Pushing open the door fully with enough force that is banged loudly against the concrete wall Peter nonchalantly resumed his exploration of the basement.

"Nuh-uh!" Peter ducked under the pipe that he had hit his head against during his first entrance of the basement. "Not this time baby!"

Fortunately the expansive basement didn't feature multiple winding corridors or lengthy hallways to hinder his progress. The power had been restored to the building and all of the lights were still burning bright.

"There you are." Peter found the odd furnace once more. "Hello beautiful." Setting up the camera he put the lens to his eye and began snapping photographs. "Smile!"

After taking at least a dozen photos of the furnace from multiple angles Peter then turned off the lights via the break box and took a dozen more photos of the furnace in the dark. The unnatural green glow of the large mysterious device cast a jade aura throughout the room and over Peter himself. The flash of the camera kept the green glow at bay, which meant he had to turn off the flash to even attempt to capture the glow on film.

"Not as good as Vigo, but not as bad as Gozer." Peter quipped coyly as he put the lens cap back in place and turned on the lights. "Don't change a thing, stay just the way you are."

As he turned his back on the furnace to return down the hallway a strong gust of icy wind blew through the basement with enough strength to cause Peter to stumble forward. Turning back to face the furnace the green glowing aura suddenly brightened and intensified as twisted humanoid face jutted outward from the furnace and unleashed an ear piercing shriek that shattered all the light bulbs through basement and down the connected hallway.

Peter covered his ears and ducked in a futile attempt to block out the painful noise as the green banshee let loose her horrible cry.

The banshee herself had hollow, black eyes that seemed as deep as an ocean abyss. She has long white hair that whipped around her face in a frenzy of wind that intensified as shriek heightened in pitch. Her lip less mouth opened wide revealing her jagged, uneven teeth as her powerful voice surged from the netherworld into the real world.

Just as quickly as the ethereal creature appeared she disappeared back into the aura of the furnace leaving only a heart pounding ringing in Peter's ears that temporarily deafened him to the world.

Shaking with fear and confusion in the suddenly dark basement Peter slowly lowered his hands from his ears and stared wide eyed at the unusual contraption.

"This..." He stopped before he began when he realized he couldn't hear himself as he spoke. "I..." He tried again but could only hear the ringing in his ears. "RAY!"

Turning on his heels Peter ran full tilt out of the darkened basement, up the stairs, through the lobby, through the hotel entrance and down the sidewalk to Ecto-1. The sound of broken glass from the shattered bulbs ground into the soles of Peter's shoes crunched vividly with each of his quick, panicked steps into the stormy night.

* * *

Inside the quiet bunk room of Ghostbusters HQ Dana stared sadly out the window as she was drawn to the ethereal and eerily beautiful storm. With her arms folded around herself she stood in front of the window watching the swirling storm clouds and listening to the wind as it blew past the old brick building. An occasional rumble of thunder would remind her that the storm had yet to unleash its full potential.

Dana could only think of all of the people in her life that she couldn't bear to lose in the event of a worst case scenario. Her son Oscar, her now husband Peter Venkman, her sister, her mother, the brave scientists who have become her good friends and protections; Ray, Egon and Winston.

It was all at stake.

Only when a weak and quiet voice called her name did Dana awaken from her daydream, or more accurately, her nightmare.

"D...Dana...?"

Turning quickly her eyes were drawn to the bunk where Egon was laying. "Egon." An immense weight was lifted from her shoulders as she approached the bunk and put her hand on his arm as a means of comforting her good friend. "You're awake. You were unconscious for almost eleven hours. How do you feel?"

"My... My chest hurts." He winced midsentence as he struggled to catch his breath before attempting to speak again. "My heads hurts." Wincing once more he tensed up and put a hand to his bandaged chest. "And my chest hurts." He repeated as a means of putting emphasis on his discomfort.

"Do you remember what happened?" She asked sincerely, taking in every word he said and every movement he made from his bunk. "Can you remember anything from last night?"

"I was... I was scanning." Egon put his other to his face as his two fore fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose as he struggled to remember what had happened to him at the Mercado. "The storm. I was taking a... PKE reading. The meter lead me to the roof of the hotel. There was a voice..." He paused as the final word he heard spoken flashed in his mind. "Kismet. The voice said 'kismet'. Then there was a bright flash... Who was it?"

"Egon, I don't quite know how to say this, but, you were struck by lightning." Dana wasn't sure how to say something so extreme, so rare and implausible. Keeping her tone steady she chose to be honest and tell him the truth. "The storm caused it. You stumbled back here to the firehouse and I helped you inside. Do you remember getting back here at all?"

"That's right, yes. I remember." He pulled his hand away from his face and stared at Dana's blurry figure beside his bed. "I fell down the hotel's stairwell and lost my glasses. I... I found the elevator. I must've found my way back here through instinct and adrenaline." His head was throbbing but his chest hurt him even more as each breath strained every muscle in his chest. "How bad?"

"Your injury?" She was hoping he wouldn't ask, at least not yet.

From the bunk beside Egon there was a stirring as Ray was awoken by the conversation taking place. He sat upright on his bunk confused and looked around the room. His eyes lit up when he saw that Egon was not only awake but talking. "Spengler!" Ray threw his legs off the edge of his bunk, shot to his feet and put his hand on his injured friend's shoulder. "Egon, you're awake! Boy, you sure gave us a scare."

"I'm sorry, Ray." Egon apologized in a rather bewildered manner. "That was not my intention."

Ray gave Dana an inquisitive look and she knew that he too was struggling with whether or not to tell Egon about his close call with death itself.

"How's your chest?" Ray asked as he carefully lifted Egon's hand away from the bandage. Neither he nor Dana wanted to tell Egon the full story. "Any pain or sign of infection?"

"Pain is adamant." Egon admitted tiredly. "Any potential infection has yet to be seen."

"I think Venkman has some pain meds in his footlocker if you need something. I'm sure he'd be willing to share."

"No, thank you. Barbiturates inhibit my thinking process." Egon rubbed at his sore eyes. "Ray I find it extremely difficult and uncomfortable to attempt to make conversation with people I cannot see clearly. Can you please get my spare glasses from my locker?"

"Sure thing pal. I'll be right back." Ray made his way to the fire pole in the corner of the connected rec room and slid into the garage below, out of sight.

"Dana," Egon lightly put his hand over top of hers, which was still resting on his arm. "how bad?"

She swallowed nervously and broke eye contact, staring uneasily at the floor. "Bad."

"I figured as much." He shut his eyes and took in a deep, shuddering breath. "Ray is a terrible liar. I knew by his reaction that my regaining consciousness was seemingly an unexpected feat."

"Egon, when you stumbled back to the firehouse you were bleeding and in a daze. We got you inside and we did our best to take care of your wound. The whole time you were..." She paused to recollect her thoughts and to keep herself from breaking down over the highly emotional and upsetting experience. "You kept muttering 'kismet' over and over again."

"'Kismet'?"

"Yes. Peter says it means 'apocalypse'."

"It's also synonymous with 'chance', 'destiny', 'doom', and even 'luck'. A broad term with oddly specific outcomes."

Ray returned to the second floor with Egon's spare glasses in his hand and walked briskly through the rec room back into the bunk room. "Here you go. I even cleaned the lenses for you."

"Thanks." Egon tried to accept the offered item but his reach was halted by a shooting pain from his chest through his arm. "Ow."

"Let me." Ray easily slipped the glasses on for Egon. "Better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

There was a loud bang as the doors to the garage were forced open. Soon the sound of Ecto-1's engine rumbled through the building reverberating easily through the brick and mortar structure.

"Venkman's back." Ray confirmed as he knew the sound of Ecto-1 very well. Keeping the hearse running smoothly was his hobby. "I hope he has some new information on the Mercado."

Egon furrowed his brow at the mention of the Hotel's name. "Mercado."

"Something wrong?" Ray was trying to not fret over Egon but he still felt immense guilt and was desperate to make sure his friend was going to be okay. "You do remember going to the Mercado, don't you? You went to investigate while I went to see if Winston was back in town."

"Yes, I do remember." Egon confirmed through half closed eyes. "I also remember that the Mercado once went by another name."

Dana was intrigued by Egon's quite serious reaction. "What was it before?"

"It was called 'The Ingress'."

"And why is that significant? I mean, what's the connection? A name is only a name, right?"

Ray felt a knot tighten in his stomach. "Usually yes, but I this case I don't think so."

Peter raced up the staircase, nearly falling as he risked missing each step in his rushing panic and interrupted loudly. "Ray, we have a problem. A BIG problem!"

Dana felt Egon's hand tighten over her own.

Egon shut his eyes entirely as he tried to breathe through the chronic pain in his chest. "'Ingress' means 'portal'."

Pausing to catch his breath and gather his thoughts as he entered the room Peter was immediately hugged by Dana and felt a little at ease. Glancing toward the bunk where Egon was resting he saw that Egon was wearing his glasses again and his color was a much healthier shade for a living, breathing human. His uneasiness was lightened considerably and was no longer shaking from his close call in the basement of the Mercado Hotel.

"Portal?" Dana repeated softly to herself as the revelation carried much more weight than she had anticipated. Letting Peter out of her hug she returned her focus to Dr. Spengler. "Egon, are you saying that the hotel was designed to be a portal for the afterlife?"

"It's entirely possible that the original architect of the building had desires to contact the afterlife and designed the building to do so." He answered with a monotonous facade. "Shandor managed to recruit an impressing following for his Gozerian cult."

"But Egon," Ray rebutted his friend's conclusion calmly. "the Mercado isn't one of Shandor's buildings. After we took down Gozer I looked into all of Shandor's work throughout the city and the Mercado, or 'Ingress' wasn't something he created."

"I highly doubt that Ivo Shandor was the only member of Gozer's cult with an affinity for architecture or creation." Egon explained as tried and failed to sit up in his bunk.

Peter cleared his throat and interrupted the less than cheerful discussion. "Er-hem! If I can get a word in edgewise," he playfully intervened. "I had a close encounter in the basement of the Mercado, AND I didn't scream despite being screeched at by some undead witch with a promising singing career."

"Really?" Ray was an intrigued as he was excited about Peter's return and his possible answers.

"Yes. I think we can get her an audition on 'Star Search'."

"Not that!" Ray took a grip on the camera strap still dangling around Peter's neck. "The witch! What did she do? What did you see? Get a good picture?"

"I saw," Peter took the camera from around his neck and practically shoved the item into Ray's hands. "more than I wanted. And man, did I get an earful."

"It sounds as though you've encountered a banshee." Egon analyzed Peter's description and compared it to one of the many entries in 'Tobin's Spirit Guide'.

Looking away from Ray and toward Egon he managed to conceal the slight grin that crept over his face. "And you! What kind of respectable scientist loses his glasses in the middle of an experiment? You're grounded mister!"

"It's nice to see you too, Peter." Egon wasn't in a comedic mood thanks to his injury and the lingering, resulting pain. "You managed to get photos of the ghost?"

"Not quite. Just the furnace looking thing that she emerged from."

Ray energetically grabbed onto Peter's shoulders. "We need to get this film developed! I can't wait to get a look at it! Come on, we can use the basement to make a new dark room!" Rushing down the stairs like a little kid excited on Christmas morning Ray was out of sight and in the basement in a flash.

"Sounds kinky..." Peter tagged on as he slowly meandered down the staircase and followed Ray into the basement.

Alone in the bunk room Dana returned to Egon's bunk and sat on the edge next to him. "Maybe I should change your bandages. Don't want you to get an infection."

"Dana." Egon was becoming more alert, his energy slowly returning. "I need to know and I believe you're the one who will be honest with me. When I made my way back to the firehouse, how severely was I injured?"

Unable to look Egon in the eye Dana focused on the white gauze wrapped around his chest. "Egon I don't have any medical training, I don't think I can give you to answers you're looking for."

"I just have one question, if you don't want to answer you don't have to, but please, don't lie."

Finally looking back into his gaze she nodded respectfully as she continued to unwrap the gauze. "Okay. I won't lie."

Sitting upright in the bunk, with Dana's assistance to aid him as he moved, Egon looked down at his unveiled injury with a scientific curiosity that was etched across his otherwise stoic face. "While treating my injuries did I... succumb?"

The question made Dana's heart skip a beat. "You... want to know if..."

"Did I die?" Egon asked firmly without flinching. "I must know."

Reluctantly, but honestly, Dana answered the uncomfortable question. "Yes, Egon. Your heart stopped and you were... You were gone."

"I was resuscitated. By whom? Paramedics?"

"Peter. Peter managed to revive you."

"Peter?" Egon seemed genuinely surprised by the revelation.

"You refused to go to a hospital and Peter didn't take you in. Instead he helped Ray take care of you."

"I... I refused to seek medical attention?"

"You said no doctor, no hospital. We didn't know why you refused to go but we respected your request." Dana explained with a gentleness normally reserved for her own son. "I'm going to get some clean bandages. I'll be right back."

Looking down at his burned and raw chest Egon gingerly pressed his fingers over the injury only to retract his hand as the touch was too intense to bear.

"Second degree electrical burn of the subcutaneous tissue and underlying muscles." He self diagnosed as he awaited Dana's return. "Close proximity to the heart would result in an instant arrhythmia of a temporary nature; permanent if the amp of the strike was of a high enough charge." Pressing his hand to his rib cage Egon managed to detect at least two fractured ribs which was a common effect of having endured strong chest compressions. "Prolonged rapid heartbeat and a dangerous increase in blood pressure would lead to full cardiac arrest."

"Egon?" Dana returned to the bunk room with fresh bandages in her hands. "I could hear you talking, are you feeling alright?"

"All things considered, yes. I was merely thinking out loud." His intellectual quirks had become fairly known to Dana. "I believe I know know what happened to me between the hotel and waking up in the firehouse."

"Oh?" Dana gently began re-cleaning the painful burn with a delicate touch.

"There is only one moment I can't account for." Glancing out the window and noting the change in the darkness of the storm clouds before checking the time on Dana's watch Egon struggled to put together an accurate timeline. "How long was I... 'gone'?"

"I'm not sure. Everything happened to quickly and Peter took charge of the situation."

"If you had to estimate a time frame how long would you wager?"

"Perhaps... two minutes."

"Two minutes." Egon began doing mental calculations based on the latest studies about the human brain when faced with oxygen deprivation. "Not long enough to sustain any significant brain damage. The shutting down and restoration of the brains synapses could possibly induce vivid dreams or hallucinations."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Dana was still worried about Egon despite his already impressive recovery.

"I believe so. Where's Ray, the basement? I need to speak with him."

"Just take it easy." She put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from trying to get up. "Ray isn't going anywhere. Neither am I or Peter."

"This is important. If what I saw was true then I may know how to stop this apocalypse, this 'kismet', before it happens."

"Egon, what did you see?"

* * *

The photographs that Peter had taken at the hotel had been developed and were now hanging on a tight wire through the dimly lit basement. There were no locked doors this time as the previous attempt to photograph a paranormal artifact had nearly gotten Ray and Egon killed when an ethereal force locked them inside their original dark room and ignited a fire that engulfed the photos in the process.

Dipping the last of the two dozen photos in the necessary chemical baths Ray patiently scanned over the photos that had already been developed and were drying on the wire.

"That's no furnace, you were right Peter." Ray was taking in every detail of the unusual contraption. "The metal used to create it isn't the proper alloy for heat conduction but it's perfect for electrical conduction."

"See? Do I know my home appliances or what?" Peter boasted arrogantly as he too admired his work. "And it only cost me one of my five senses in the process."

"Still having a hard time hearing anything?" Ray questioned sincerely.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"I said..." Ray just shook his head when he saw the smug grin appear on Peter's face. "Cute."

"So we know that the furnace isn't really a furnace and we know that the hotel is kind of like a Shandor building, but it isn't really a Shandor building. What do we know for sure?"

"Well, we know that the storm has been churning over the city for seventeen days now and it's getting stronger. We know that it's being drawn to the Mercado hotel and it doesn't like visitors poking around the rooftop-"

"Or the basement!" Peter interrupted. "Please go on."

"Right, or the basement. And we know that either the storm or someone, or something, inside the storm is conscious. We need to put a name to the ghost in the storm and to the architect of the Mercado."

"Think your fancy collection of ill-gotten city blueprints could hold the answer?"

"I doubt it. Those blueprints date back only so far. I already checked for Shandor's name for the Mercado and he's not there."

"You checked for The Mercado," Peter pointed a finger into the air as he began toying with an interesting idea. "but what about The Ingress? If The Mercado had any reconstruction since it was purchased and renamed..."

"Then the original architect's name would be erased from the redesigned blueprints." Ray gave Peter a very approving smile. "You're onto something!"

"Where'd you stay the blueprints? I want to give it another look."

"Upstairs in your office."

"Let me guess, you filed it under 'B' for blueprint?" Peter quipped as he practically skipped out of the dark basement and back onto the first floor.

Removing the final photograph from its chemical bath Ray hung it up on the line with the others and waited for it to develop fully before turning back on any proper lights. Starting from the first photo and walking down the line Ray took in the bizarre images until each one was burned into his memory.

"What the...? Is that a... face?" Ray got uncomfortably close to the sixth photo on the line and tried to wrap his head around the unusual shape he was seeing. The face of a young, eyeless screaming woman with wild hair steadily came into focus. "That's the banshee. The furnace must be some kind of gateway..."

* * *

Leaning on Dana's arm Egon was able to slowly and weakly climb out of his bunk and stand on shaking legs beside it. He was tired, in pain and just wanted to go back to sleep, but his curiosity and his brotherly instinct to protect his friends wouldn't allow the injured scientist to lay down and rest. Holding one hand to his freshly wrapped bandages around his chest he took in deep, slow breaths as he struggled to steady himself.

Dana put one hand on his back as she waited for him to gain his balance. "Are you okay? Do you need to sit down again?"

"No, I'm okay." Egon had to force himself to open his eyes to look around the room that felt as though it was spinning all around him. "I just need a minute to catch my breath."

The sound of heavy footsteps stomping up the staircase drew both of their attention from Egon's predicament and toward the incoming visitor. Peter marched up the steps with a massive blueprint outstretched in his hands, nearly obstructing his view as he strolled through the rec room and laid the paper out across the billiard table.

"Peter, did you find something?" Dana asked through the doorway as she helped Egon take a step forward. "Let me know if you need to stop."

Egon just nodded as he let Dana guide him across the bunk room. Using his hand as a guide and Dana as his eyes Egon made his way slowly but steadily into the rec room.

"What have you uncovered?" Egon asked in his usual baritone voice, all indications of pain or weakness completely gone. Dana stepped back knowing that the tall scientist was going to be just fine.

"Well good morning sleepy head!" Peter greeted as he looked up from the blueprints and looked toward Egon who was standing on the opposite side of the table and supporting himself upright by leaning on his arms. "Nice of you to finally join us."

"Sorry Venkman, I was a little distracted."

"Typical." Peter playfully scoffed. "Well, while you were taking your little catnap Ray and I have been busy doing scientific research and... stuff."

Egon pulled the blueprints closer to himself with his two forefingers on his left hand. "Are these the blueprints to the Mercado?"

"Better. These are the blueprints to the original Mercado, The Ingress."

"Any sign of Shador hand in these designs?"

"Nuh-uh." Peter shook his head. "Our favorite malevolent architect has clean hands with this build. But I do have a name to go with this cheery, dreary, ominous structure of doom." Turning the blueprints around with a quick flick of the wrist Peter pushed the bottom right corner toward Egon's view. "Meet Victor Weldon."

"Victor Weldon." Egon's brow furrowed as the name rang a bell. "I know I've come across that name in the past."

"Yup. We all have."

"How? What's the connection?"

From the middle of the staircase Ray's voice called out with the answer. "Because Victor Weldon was the man who paid Shandor for his work." Walking up the stairs with the photographs in his hands he stood beside Peter and began spreading out the two dozen images for all to see. "Glad to see you up and walking again Spengler." Ray smiled and nodded to his colleague. "You see this?" He asked as he singled out a photo and pointed to a singular location on the image.

"What am I looking at?" Egon was struggling to see what Ray could.

"This is the banshee that attacked Peter in the basement."

Egon, Peter and Dana all bent down closer over the table to the photo. It was dark and blurry but there was no mistaking the eyeless, shrieking face lurching out from the furnace in the basement.

"And this," Ray continued as he presented the photo of the furnace to his colleagues. "is not a furnace but a gateway!"

Dana's eyes widened with fear. "A gateway? To the other side?"

Ray nodded with a disturbing level of enthusiasm. "I believe so."

Egon picked up the photo and with his keenly educated eyes looked over every detail that was being visually provided. Taking in the structure of the 'furnace', the design, the size, the metallic alloys being used he made an educated guess. "I'm certain that this contraption was indeed designed to act as a gateway. But one question remains, who is the new architect?"

Peter and Ray exchanged glances of uncertainty. Neither man had managed to identify the creator of the gateway.

"Gentleman," Egon stood up straight and winced in pain as he did so. "we need a name to go with this design. Until then we can't possibly determine this new architects motivation or next step."

Ray took refuge in the office on the first floor as he surrounded himself with the blueprint, photographs and recently collected data as he began painstakingly seeking the identity of the architect. In the meantime Peter urged Dana to go join her sister and Oscar at the hotel far away from the city as a precautionary measure. Egon was hiding out in the basement as a means of seeking isolation without being too far from his colleagues.

Peter took it upon himself to keep an eye on Egon without being too obvious about it. Walking into the basement Peter found the injured scientist, wearing a black unbuttoned dress shirt, hunched over the long workbench with extensive copies of the collected data strewn out from one end of the table to the other.

"How's it going Spengs?" Peter asked casually as he took a seat beside his friend. "Find Waldo yet?"

"Peter." Egon coldly greeted his colleague as he refused to break his concentration.

"Aw, come on Spengler! Is that anyway to talk to the guy who saved your life?"

Egon looked up from the data and gave Peter an expressionless look. "Thank you for saving my life."

"Now, now. Calm down." Peter put his hand on Egon's shoulder as the scientist remained statuesque over the workbench. "Don't get too excited."

Egon didn't say anything in response, he just continued to stare blankly at Peter.

"Well, while I have your attention;" Peter pulled a pen flashlight from his pocket and shined it into Egon's eyes. "let's check your vitals."

"Let's not." Egon turned his gaze away and back down toward the lengthy papers.

"Egon, let me help you." Peter click off his light and became momentarily serious. "You were clinically dead for almost two minutes."

"Two minutes." Egon repeated in a low almost confused tone.

"Please?" Peter asked nicely as he clicked the light back on. "Just a quickie exam."

"Very well." Egon sat down on the nearby stool and removed his glasses. "Proceed."

"Great." Flicking the light up and down in both of Egon's eyes Peter checked his pupils. "Normal." He clicked the light off again before pocketing it and held up his right index finger. "Track my finger." Moving his finger up and down, left and right he watched Egon's eyes seamlessly follow along without any sluggishness. "Good."

"Do I pass?" Egon asked in a somewhat more jovial tone as he replaced his glasses.

"You get a gold star." Peter replied with a smugness that always gave the unorthodox scientist an abrasive vibe.

"Great, I'll put it up on the wall right beside my Ph.D." Egon joked and flinched regretfully as even the slight chuckle made his ribs hurt.

"Need something for the pain?" Peter asked, again being serious and concerned for the health of his friend.

"No, it'll be fine."

"Egon, just so you know, when I thought you were..." He trailed off awkwardly. "You know, gone, I... and Ray..."

"It's okay, Peter." Egon's voice was lighter and sympathetic.

"But Ray still feels like he's somehow... at fault."

"For what?" Egon wasn't looking for confrontation, only answers.

"Ray... He didn't think you were going to... come back."

Egon nodded as he arched an eyebrow. "He believed that any prolonged CPR would have been superfluous."

"Something to that effect, yes."

"From my own point of view, I believe that had our positions been reversed and it was Ray who was in full cardiac arrest, I would have reached the same conclusion." Egon gave Peter a nod of respect. "Thank you for not giving up."

"Hey, that's what I do. I never know when to quit!"

"Hey guys?" Ray's voice called out from the first floor. "You better take a look at this!"

Peter offered a hand and helped Egon to his feet. Walking out of the basement and to the first floor the two men saw Ray was holding a very large old book in his hands and was transfixed on a single page. "I think I found something!"

Joining Ray up on the first floor of the old firehouse, walking into the small but opened office space that was adorned with a single large desk, an old worn couch and several tall filing cabinets both Peter and Egon stepped over the dropped papers and opened books that were strewn about the singular area. Gathering around the desk where Ray was sitting the three men eyed over the document that had garnered Ray's full attention.

"What is it Ray?" Egon asked curiously as he pressed his slipping glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he looked downward toward the desk.

Presenting an age worn leather bound book to his colleagues Ray pressed his finger to an article of faded ink and print. "I found the connection between our architects." The book was just one of many that Ray collected over the years. A collection that has prove invaluable time and time again to the brave Ghostbusters.

Egon quickly read over the details captured in the print and seemingly found the same connection as Ray. "The original architect and founder of the Gozer Cult, Ivo Shador had a lieutenant to aid in his work. A loyal right hand man to keep his work secret and funded."

"Let me guess," Peter easily caught onto Ray's hunch. "Victor Weldon was a man with deep pockets and tight lips."

"Exactly." Ray confirmed both men's suspicions. "According to the few remaining chronicles that survived the sinking of Shandor Island, Ivo had taken on an apprentice to ensure that his work and that the power of Gozer remained active in the city long after Shandor's death. Victor was a man of wealth and keen intellect, and by all accounts an uncommitted psychopath. He had no siblings, no children, his mother died during childbirth, his father drank himself to death before Victor was even eighteen years old, and Victor was twice a widower of 'suspicious circumstances'."

"Widower?" Peter asked with a heavy level of disturbance in his voice. "Murder?"

Ray nodded his head affirmatively. "But there was never enough evidence to convict him. It was theorized that he poisoned his first wife and drowned the second. He had a great lawyer that kept him out of jail."

Peter rubbed at his chin in an irritated manner. "Shandor."

Egon stood up straight and glanced over his colleagues facial expressions with a studying eye. "Sounds like the ideal circumstances for Shandor to convert a naive and lonely soul into one of his twisted Gozer worshipers. Victor was just a pawn."

"Get this," Ray continued to flip through the pages of the book. "Victor was a student of medicine, botany, art, law and architecture. A jack of all trades but master of none. Being an only child of a successful and wealthy business man and widower ensure that he had plenty of funds to fuel his hobbies and support whatever twisted activities that the rest of Shador's cult had conducted in secret."

Peter had enough of the day's history lesson and was losing patience. "And what does that have to do with the hotel, Ray?"

"I was getting there." Ray blushed a little as he realized that he had been rambling on for a little too long. "Victor assisted Shador when it came to getting his buildings designed, built and funded properly during the peak of Shandor's reign. The last building that had Shandor's name on the blueprints was for the Castle of Shandor on the now sunken Shandor Island. Victor continued Shador's work and attempted to take over the cult, but the other cultists weren't swayed by Victor as easily as Shandor."

"So the cult was abandoned?" Peter was still waiting for Ray to get back to the details on the hotel.

"No. He was sacrificed in the name of Gozer." Ray closed the book with a firm slam. "You see, without the island to conduct their activities the cultists moved on, they bound and gagged Victor, dragging him into the basement of the old 'Ingress Hotel' while it was still under construction. In the basement they chose to offer a blood sacrifice to Gozer. Victor had his throat cut, his heart removed and his body burned all in the name of Gozer. And all of this was done while Victor was still alive!"

"Ouch." Peter grimaced at the thought. "That's a little extreme."

"That's not all." Ray had a twisted little smile on his face that only showed itself when he found something to be of extreme interest even when it was under a dark passage from history. "While Victor's blood and personal possessions were found in the basement, his body never was."

"And the cultists?" Egon asked curiously with an arched eyebrow.

"Disappeared."

"Just... gone?" Peter asked somewhat bewildered.

"Gone."

"All of them?"

"All of them. The night of the final sacrifice all of the remaining Gozer cult members vanished from the city and Victor's body was never found. His murder is one of New York City's most bizarre cold cases."

"And it's only going to get colder." Peter tagged on.

"Rumor has it that the cultists hid Victor's body somewhere in the basement and as a result his spirit is trapped within the walls of the Ingress Hotel."

Egon was just an intrigued as Ray. "If that's true then it's possible that the high concentration of psychokinetic energy from the murder would only fuel the macabre conduction of the building itself, and with nearly fifty years of energy to build Shandor's gateway to the other side might actually be opened."

"And soon." Ray concluded.

"Seventeen days..." Peter had an idea of his own. "Ray, do we know when Victor was murdered?"

"Uh, according to the police records from that time it was believed that Victor was murdered on the night of June 18th in 1930."

"And today is the seventeenth of June. Isn't it?"

"Uh..." Ray's face paled a little as he realized that Peter was right. "Yeah. We're one day shy of Victor's seventieth murder anniversary."

Egon couldn't understand Peter's sudden interest in numbers after he had been asking about the hotel. "Peter, what are you thinking?"

Peter flashed Egon a cheesy grin. "Just bear with me. I'm going on a hunch here." Turning his attention to Ray he continued to ask about the numbers in question. "And aren't you guys the ones who insisted that we all read up on numerology and the significance behind each number? Well, this storm wants us to prepare for something. Are we prepared?"

Egon's eyes flashed with concern briefly as his controlled emotional state and logic calmed his nerves. "In Chinese culture the number eighteen represents success and prosperity, in Hebrew eighteen means long life and in Tarot eighteen is represented by a weeping moon which in itself is seen an a symbol of spiritual destruction."

Ray's shoulders slumped as he went into depth about the next number associated with Victor. "The number seventy is connected to the totality of evolution and is tied with the fall of the house of God, collapse of faith and catastrophe."

Egon remembered the voice in the storm before he had been injured. "Numbers in general represent fortune and chance. 'Kismet' means the same, as well as 'apocalypse'."

"Our little storm has been brewing for seventeen days now," Peter responded in a calm yet alert tone. "what happens tomorrow on the eighteenth night of the seventieth anniversary? I forget, diamonds or tinfoil?"

Ray warily kept his silence.

Egon answered very coldly with a distinct confidence that filled the room with dread. "The end of the world."

Taking the still damaged PKE meter from under the large pile of papers that had been scattered across the top of the desk Ray pocketed the somewhat functional device as he threw on his coat and made a beeline for Ecto-1. The doomsday clock was ticking and he was bound and determined to keep the city and the world as he knew it alive and well.

"Ray where are you going?" Peter asked curiously as his flustered colleague hastened his pace and opened the driver's side door of the car. Pulling open the car door Ray felt a hand reach over and slam it shut just as quickly as it had opened. "Ray, I asked you a question." Peter persisted with a stubbornness that had become a staple of his charmingly abrasive personality. "Where in the hell are you going?"

"I have to get a more accurate reading of the storm." Ray finally replied without looking Peter in the eye all the while struggling to pull the car door back open. "The sooner the better."

Egon joined his colleagues beside Ecto-1. "Ray, I can say with almost complete certainty that going to the hotel alone is an exceptionally bad idea."

Ray glanced over to Egon and felt his stomach knot when he saw the white bandages contrasting brilliantly against the black shirt that Egon had put on earlier in the evening. The guilt of not being there to aid his injured friend still gnawed at Ray's psyche, while the guilt of wanting to let Egon 'go' when he didn't respond immediately to resuscitative measures made him truly sick. "It needs to be done."

"Don't go." Peter insisted as he kept his hand on the car door and pulled the car keys from Ray's hand. "We need to stick together. We'll check out the hotel together, alright?"

Only nodding in agreement Ray took a step back from the car and headed back toward the office like a whimpering pup. "I guess you're right. We can't just rush into this without a game plan."

"Do you have any idea how much simpler life would be if you could just keep that in mind?" Peter teased as he put his hand on Ray's shoulder. "Just remind yourself that 'Peter is always right', and everything will be just fine!"

Egon followed slowly behind his two friends as they regrouped in the office. "Gentlemen we have a deadline to make and we can't afford to be late. We must find a way to keep the gateway from opening, or at the very least find a way to shut it and lock it up tight, if it does actually open."

Peter just cocked his head as he studied the pondering expressions on his colleagues' faces. "Ideas anyone? I'm listening! Now's the time to speak up."

Ray stared at the PKE meter's final reading in his hand and sighed despondently. "If we only had a more accurate reading of the storm's energy level then we could possibly adjust the energy wavelength on our proton packs to reverse the energy flow and keep the gate shut, or possibly seal it. Permanently."

"Considering that the last attempt I made to take a reading of the storm nearly resulted in my own demise I don't see how it'd be possible for any of us here to gauge a proper reading without being endangered." Egon's face was blank as he mentally began weighing the odds of success and failure in his mind. "We must also take into consideration that since my initial scan of the storm a significant amount of time has passed and the storm itself has surely become stronger, more violent and all the more unpredictable."

"You're right." Ray admitted with a twinge of defeat in his voice. Waving around the PKE meter as he smacked it on its side, more irritated than fearful of their current circumstance. "If we could just get a solid sample of the electrical structure of the storm itself-" The PKE meter suddenly chirped and the wands situated at the top of the device extended as the meter picked up on a trace reading in the immediate area. "What the hell?"

Egon studied the device intently. "It's very unusual for the PKE meter to detect any activity in the firehouse. The containment unit in the basement also doubles as a type of shielding to keep any nominal or trace readings from affecting our equipment."

"Then whatever it's picking up on must be very powerful." Ray deduced with a mixture of excitement, worry and curiosity swirling in his voice.

Peter furrowed his brow at the sudden activity displayed by the meter. "Hey Ray, do that again." He pointed at the meter in Ray's hand.

"Do what again?"

"Wave the meter in the air again. Humor me."

Repeating his previous actions Ray moved the meter through the air again and froze as soon as it made a noise. Holding it firmly in his hand, doing his best to keep even the slightest muscle twitch from affecting its current position, Ray looked up from the display on the meter and at the source of the reading. "Egon, it's you."

"Me?" Egon's eyes lit up with intrigue as he pressed his hand to chest in self gesture.

Ray waved the PKE meter over Egon's upper body again and received the same unexpected result on the display. "There's no mistaking it Egon, there's a massive surge of psychokinetic energy emanating from your body."

"Must be a lingering effect of the electrical strike." Egon surmised with a surprisingly calmness in his tone. "Ray, I believe that I need to be examined for any other potential readings or residual energy fluctuations. There maybe a viable sample embedded in my subcutaneous tissues."

"Agreed." Ray lowered the meter and gave Peter a concerned glance. "We better get him down into the lab, fast."

Escorting Egon down into the lab Ray felt his heart pounding with absolute fear for the safety of his already injured friend. Turning on the lights in the basement lab and scouring through the numerous pieces of equipment that the unorthodox scientists had managed to acquire over the years Ray fumbled impatiently through the wires and heavy metallic objects that lined the shelves and sat atop desks.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Peter flinched when he heard all the commotion Ray was making as he dug through the equipment. "You're not going to get any answers if you break everything."

Ignoring Peter's comment Ray continued his desperate search.

"Venkman's right." Egon agreed with Peter as he stood beside the large desk across from the containment unit. "We can't afford to lose our nerve. Stay focused."

A loud 'crash' was the only response Ray managed to give either of his colleagues as he continued his clumsy dig through the equipment.

Peter and Egon exchanged looks of annoyance and impatience.

"Have a seat Egon." Peter patted the top of the desk as he cleared the papers away. "This won't hurt a bit."

A loud groan of pain from Egon quickly proved the quirky psychiatrist wrong. "It hurt a bit." Egon complained through gritted teeth as he wrapped his arm around his chest. The simple act of attempting to slip off his shirt was proving too taxing for his physically strained upper body.

The sound of pain pulled Ray from his made scramble of digging through equipment. He stood up straight and turned his attention to Egon, various wires and broken pieces of metal tangled up in his clenched hands. "Egon? You okay?"

Peter proceeded to help Egon slip off the shirt while the pained physicist breathed through the intense pain. "I'll be fine. I just need to sit down."

Ray dropped everything he had gathered and assisted Peter with helping Egon to sit down on top of the desk. "Easy pal, we got you."

Tossing aside the black shirt Peter proceeded to check the bandages wrapped around Egon's chest. "Get a good reading, will ya' Ray? I'm going to go back upstairs and get new bandages."

"Right. No problem." Ray answered in somewhat confident tone as he helped Egon to expose the still healing burns under the white gauze. "Take it easy..."

Egon could see the overwhelming discomfort in Ray's eyes. In an attempt to ease the awkwardness and heavy tension in the air he offered his good friend some words of comfort. "Trust me, it looks worse than it feels."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Ray was distracted by his own personal guilt to focus on anything that was being said. Holding up the PKE meter to Egon's chest he made sure the device was properly set to its default functions. "Just hold still while I take a reading."

Egon put his hand over the meter and pushed it down. "Ray, what's on your mind? And don't try to tell me 'nothing', I know you too well."

"I... It's just..." Ray couldn't bring himself to admit how he felt, how he was just angry and disappointed in himself for failing to react properly when Egon needed him the most. "I wish I knew."

"Ray, I know what happened. Dana and Peter told me."

"They did?" Ray swallowed a nervous lump that had risen in his throat. "Everything?"

"I know that I was revived through CPR, and I know that you were convinced that I was beyond saving. I'm not upset."

"You're... You're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" Egon took his hand from the meter. "Given the circumstances I would've reached the same conclusion."

"It's just, I can't get it out of my head." Ray was losing his cool and couldn't repress his anxiety any more. "When I saw you laying there on the floor, not breathing and without a pulse... It was bad enough to walk in on you having a seizure-"

"I had gone into convulsions?!" Egon hadn't been told that part.

"You... didn't know?" Ray blushed a little at his blunder.

"No."

"Oh, well. You did."

"That explains the debilitating headache I suffered when I came to." Egon was still mentally putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "It might also explain the vivid dreaming."

"Dream? What did you dream about?"

"Nothing." Egon wasn't ready to talk about what he had experienced during his near death, not yet. "Please. Begin the exam."

"Okay. Be still, I'm not sure how sensitive the meter is anymore."

Practically holding his breath during the exam Egon listened intently to every little squeak and whine the PKE meter as it swept over his body. The look on Ray's face only seemed to confirm his suspicions that the residual energy level from the strike was unnervingly high.

"Well?" Egon asked as Ray finally lowered the meter. "What did you find?"

Ray's face was pale and his eyes glassy. "We're dealing something of incredible power. I... I don't think we have the proper equipment to stop it. Not this time."

Before Egon could say anything Peter had returned to the basement lab with the first aid kit. "So how did our patient do? Was he a good boy?"

"Check out these readings." Ray presented the meter to Peter.

"That's..." Peter was struggling to process the numbers he was viewing on the small display. "high."

Egon tagged on his own observation. "And this extraordinarily high reading is of a residual energy spike."

Peter didn't quite know how to react. "We can do something about this though, right?"

Ray just bowed his head with uncertainty while Egon remained silent.

"That's a 'no'. Great." Peter set the first aid kit down on the desk beside Egon. "Well, while I take care of Egon why you don't you," he put one hand under Ray's chin and lifted his head until the two men were making direct eye contact. "Ray, do a little equipment check, okay?"

Without a word Ray set the PKE meter down on the desk and approached the wall where the proton packs had been stored for safe keeping.

"So Spengz," Peter resumed his focus on Egon and the painful wound that still needed attention. "how are feeling? Any pain, nausea, dizziness, delusions of grandeur?"

"No more than usual." His curt reply was followed by a painful hiss as Peter began to press a sterile pad against his chest. "At least nothing compared to my seizure."

"Ray told you." Peter paused for a moment and looked Egon right in his eyes. "Sorry. I forgot to mention that part."

"Can't imagine why."

"Here, hold this." Peter instructed Egon to keep the pad pressed against his chest.

"Got it." Egon lifted his hand and held the bandage in place. "The pain's already diminishing. I think I'm on the mend."

"Now Egon, what do you think we should do about our impending doom? Try one last seemingly crazy stunt to save the entire world, or kick back and watch a movie? Think we should order out?"

"I think we need to find Winston." Egon suggested dryly as he watched Peter wrap the fresh gauze around his lower chest and upper abdomen. "We should also find Janine and Dana."

"Dana?" Peter was defensive when it came to matters with his new bride. "She's safe and with Oscar. Why bring her back to the source of the chaos?"

"Without a doubt we're going to need as much help as possible."

With Ray's assistance Egon was able to slip the black shirt on over his bandages with surprisingly little difficulty. The fresh white gauze stood out boldly against the dark fabric, but Egon didn't seem notice or possibly didn't care at the moment. Peter had ducked away into their shared office on the first floor to make a phone call to Dana, and hoped to find some way to make contact with Winston in Pittsburgh.

"Ray I believe I have the proper equation." Egon studied his hastily drawn mathematical notes. "But to be sure we must do a bench test before we reach the hotel, otherwise our proton streams could have a negative effect with no remedy, and no means of a second chance."

"Like always..." Ray mumbled as he grabbed ahold of the first proton pack from its charging station with one hand, and the large tool chest beside the desk with the other. Puffing heavily he hoisted the two objects onto the desk and let out a large sigh with the exhausting effort. "That was easy."

Working tirelessly in the basement lab Ray and Egon analyzed their collected data together while looking to find the correct frequency required to calibrate their proton packs in order to stop the ethereal threat that was looming ever closer over the city. The storm over the hotel grew in density as the air became ever colder with an unnatural chill. Wind began to gust through the vacated streets causing the power lines to sway and shudder under the strain.

The lights flickered in the firehouse which immediately drew Ray's concern. "Our back up generator is ready to kick on, right Egon?" He watched suspiciously as the lightbulb overhead dimmed and resumed its usual brightness like the pulse of a beating heart.

"Yes." Egon confirmed as he popped open the power panel on the side of the first proton pack with a screwdriver. "And the back up for the back up will kick in if necessary." Using the back of his hand Egon wiped beads of sweat from his brow. "Let's just hope our reserves hold out long enough for us to make the proper adjustments to our packs."

Ray had noticed that Egon was already sweating despite only having just begun his work. He also noticed that Egon was starting to look pale again, as well. "You feeling okay? You don't look so well."

"I'm alright." Egon continued his work without breaking stride or concentration. "Just focused."

Ray wasn't convinced despite Egon's firm response. Keeping a close eye on every move that the determined physicist made, the empathetic occultist chose to push the matter aside for the moment and assist with adjusting the proton packs.

"Hand me that screwdriver, will ya'?" Ray pulled the proton pack onto the desk and began to work right along side Egon.

"Philips or flat head?"

"Flat head."

From stairwell Peter's voice echoed down. "Who you callin' a flat head, chump?" He never missed an opportunity to tease his colleagues.

"Get ahold of Dana?" Ray asked as he mirrored Egon's movements, doing his best to keep up with the fast thinking scientist at his side.

"Yeah, she's okay. I told her about what's going and she's going to try to track down Winston for us."

"And Janine?"

"Janine was at her mother's apartment. She'll be over to help out soon."

"Her mother's sick, isn't she?" Ray asked sincerely as he subconsciously began staring at Egon.

"Yeah. Louis is going to stay with her so Janine come help us." Peter couldn't help but notice that Ray was watching Egon a little too closely. "Something wrong with Egon?"

"Huh?" Embarrassed Ray broke his eye contact and stared at the proton pack instead. "No, I don't think so. Why don't you ask him for yourself?"

Picking up on the hint Peter approached Egon and stood uncomfortably close to the working physicist. Using his keen skills of observation Peter knew that Ray was onto something. "Egon, you look tired. Why don't you go take a little nap? We don't want you to get cranky."

"Funny." Was Egon's sole, dry retort.

Peter and Ray just gave each other unsure glances. Egon could be just as stubborn as Peter at times, especially when something as delicate as a recalibration was on the line. In the bright lighting of the lab it was evident that Egon was unusually pale and sweaty. His normally bright, alert eyes were becoming glassy and dark circles were forming under those same eyes.

Knowing that Egon would never admit his fatigue, especially during such a dire time Ray and Peter chose to focus on their work instead.

"Well then," Peter hefted a third proton pack onto the desk. "what are we doing to our little toys now? Please tell me we're adding some bricks, because these things are just too darn light!"

Ignoring the sarcasm Ray slipped a piece of paper with his and Egon's calculations toward the wily psychiatrist. "Here. We need our proton streams to match this frequently exactly." Passing Peter a screwdriver Ray resumed his attention to the pack under his hands. "Hop to it."

"I don't hop." Was all Peter could think to say as he reluctantly got his hands dirty by digging through the advanced, dangerous, greasy and occasionally slimy internal components of the proton pack.

From upstairs the all too familiar and thickly New York accented voice of Janine called out. "Hello? Are you guys still here?"

"Downstairs!" Ray responded between his clenched teeth and the pencil held between. "Come on down, it's safe!"

"What's going on? It sounded really urgent over the phone." She strode down the stairs, her heels echoing on each step as she walked. "What did you-" She noticed Egon bandaged up and looking fairly pale. "What the hell happened to you, Egon?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." He answered without looking away from the proton pack. "Just got too close to an ethereal electrical strike."

Crossing her arms defiantly Janine refused to accept such a casual reply as that. "Uh-huh. You look awful. Maybe you should go upstairs and get some rest."

"No, I'm fine." Egon persisted. "It looks far more severe than it truly is, I swear."

Janine studied Ray and Peter's faces for any possible clues but knew from their expressions that there would be no winning with Egon. "Alright then. So, what do you guys need me to do?"

Peter handed a screwdriver to Janine in a very assertive manner. "Pop open the next proton pack. We'll mess with the wires."

"O-okay." Janine accepted the offered tool and looked at the fourth pack still resting in its usual place along the wall. "I'll do what I can."

"Great."

Upstairs the door opened and shut as yet another visitor arrived. "Hello?"

"Dana!" Peter forcefully shoved his pack into Janine's arms. "Here, take care of this!" Before Janine or anyone else had a chance to protest he was bounding up the stairs and onto the first floor to greet his new wife.

"Typical." Janine scoffed as she clumsily sat the pack on the table with the first two.

Racing onto the first floor Peter met Dana in the garage just as she walked past Ecto-1. She was carrying two large paper bags in her arms, and her long hair had blown into her face thanks to the sporadic wind gusts that now swirled down the city streets.

"You made it!" He greeted with a quick kiss on her lips. "And you brought snacks!" He them remarked as he took the bags from her arms. "How bad it it out there?"

"Pretty bad." She answered as she ran a hand through her hair and tried to straighten her dark locks.

"I've always been fuzzy with the 'good vs bad' scale." Peter walked up the stairs to the second floor and toward the rec room with Dana following. "On a scale from one to Vigo, how'd you rate this?"

"I'd give it a Gozer." She answered with a sincere fear in her voice.

"That's bad." Peter replied nonchalantly as this revelation wasn't exactly a surprise to the fairly jaded psychiatrist.

"Yeah."

"So what's in the bags?" Peter sat the brown parcels down on the billiard table and began rummaging through the collected items. Pulling out a large plastic white box he stared at it curiously. "Another first aid kit?"

"I figured we should restock." She motioned to the same bag with her hand. "There's also some alcohol, pain medicine and fresh water."

"Good choices." He dumped out the bag and looked disappointed. "No snacks?"

Smiling she gestured to the second bag. "Look inside."

With a childlike grin Peter tore into the bag and happily sorted through the various snacks and sweet treats. "You're the best!"

"I know." Slipping off her coat Dana proceeded to put away her gathered groceries. "So Oscar is safe, he and my sister are keeping calm and won't move until we give her the all clear."

"Good." Peter replied as he took a bite out of a snack cake. "Anything about Winston?" His question was muffled by the sweet content he was still chewing on.

"Yes, actually. I got ahold of him in Pittsburgh, he said that all flights into and out of New York have been cancelled because of the storm."

"What about the train?" Peter offered the alternative as he absentmindedly began watching the storm through the window behind Dana.

"He'll try, he also said it would only take him as far as Jersey and even then all the roads into the city have been shut down. If he does make it by train he's going to be on foot the rest of the way."

"Good thing he's so athletic." Peter chimed as he dusted the various sugary crumbs from his hands. "Now, my dear sweet, beautiful bride, do we have a task for you!"

Dana shot Peter an unsure glance before giving him a trusting smile. "I'm not going to turn into a dog again, am I?"

"No. Just a cat." He teased without missing a beat. "We're just going to need all hands on deck for this one. You have some talented hands."

"Peter, don't lie to me and don't try to sugar coat it." She approached him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "We're running out of time, aren't we? Us. The city. The world... It's all on the line, isn't it?"

Rather than answer Peter chose to reciprocate her hug and kissed her forehead.

"I knew it." She buried her face into his shoulder and let his strong arms hold her.

Embraced in a hug of love and of trust the newlywed couple simply enjoyed having each other in that dire moment as the storm outside swirled uncontrollably. The wind gusted and howled outside the old firehouse, the lights flickered and the sound of the back up generators whirring to life to compensate for the failing power filled the old brick structure with an angry growl that mirrored the inhabitants' frustrations.

After making the proper adjustments to the first proton pack Egon closed the power panel on the side of the unusual device and checked the connections ensuring that the pack itself would still turn on and fire off a proton stream on command. The pack whirred to life as the energy coursed through its circuits and the small red lights on the side began to glow with the renewed power.

"One down." Egon remarked as he again wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. "Three to go."

"Two." Ray corrected the usually observant physicist. "Half way there."

"Good work, Ray." Egon eyed over the second pack and found that Ray had followed his own procedure perfectly. "Now, let's just hope we get to the hotel in time."

"Time?" Ray furrowed his own brow in puzzlement. "I thought we had until tomorrow."

"We do, and we don't." Egon replied in a cryptic tone as he gestured for Janine to hand over the third pack that Peter had abandoned to her care. "We do, technically, have until tomorrow to close the gateway, however seeing as by 'tomorrow' we have until midnight tonight, we have very limited time."

"Uh-oh..." Ray looked at his watch and quickly did the math. "We have less than six hours to get the Mercado, find the manifestation point for the gateway and lock it before anything slips over."

"Exactly."

Janine didn't understand what either of the two scientists were talking about, but she did understand from their tone of voice that whatever was in fact happening was very serious and not to be taken lightly.

"What can I do to help?" She asked softly as she studied the two men's faces. "Just name it!"

Egon kept his silence while Ray answered calmly. "Just stay here with Dana, and if Winston shows up tell us where we went. Don't leave the firehouse in case we need you. Okay?"

"You got it." She smiled warmly. "As long as you keep the sky from falling I'll do anything you ask."

"Thanks Janine, you're the best receptionist we've ever had."

"I'm the only receptionist you've ever had," she pointed at him playfully and peered at him over the frames of her eyeglasses. "and don't you ever forget it!"

Egon found the conversation as distracting as it was calming. "Janine, can you please check on Peter and Dana? I'm curious about the current whereabouts of Winston." He held his breath as a surge of pain tightened his chest. "The sooner, the better."

"Sure. Be right back."

Almost as soon as Janine was up the stairs Egon leaned forward and used his arm to brace himself upright against the edge of the desk. His eyes were screwed shut and his teeth clenched as he struggled to breathe through the sudden pain that threatened to take away what little strength he had recovered.

"Egon?!" Ray was alarmed by his friend's weakened condition, yet he managed to keep his voice low enough as to not alert the others. Putting his hand on Egon's shoulder he supported to help support the injured man. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure..." Egon confessed humbly. His complexion had paled and beads of sweat were now running down his face. "I don't know where the pain came from."

Ray pressed the back of his hand against the side of Egon's face. "Oh boy, you're running a fever."

"Infection? How?" Egon didn't doubt Ray's conclusion, but he did doubt that the cause of his condition. "The injury sight has been cleaned and kept sterilized."

"Not sure." Ray's hand slipped away from Egon's face as he pressed his fingers against Egon's neck and carotid artery to measure his pulse. "Perhaps the physical exertion has been too much for your body to handle. Increase in blood pressure can also cause and increase in body temperature."

"I think you're right." Egon opened his eyes and found the room to be spinning. "I need to sit down."

"Here." Ray kept on hand on Egon's shoulder as he guided the ailing man to the nearby stool. "Take it easy. I can adjust the remaining two packs."

"Are you sure?" Egon trusted Ray's skill with tools and adjusting equipment but the urge to continue the work himself was often too great of a temptation to resist. His breathing sounded labored as he spoke.

"Yeah, I got this." Ray popped open the power panel on the third pack. "I have your notes, so there's nothing worry about."

Egon leaned forward again and wrapped his arm around his bandaged chest as he panted for breath. "If you need any help-"

"I'll ask." Ray finished the sentence for Egon as he continued his work on the pack. "Just rest. It'd probably be for the best if you stayed here and-"

"No, I'm going back to the Mercado." Egon nearly shouted as he locked eyes with Ray. "I have to go back Ray."

"Egon, is there something you're not telling us?" Ray could see that there was something in Egon's mind, something eating away at his psyche. "What happened to you at the hotel?"

"Ray, just... I need to go back. It's important." Egon was having trouble speaking as the muscles in his chest tightened into a hindering knot of pain.

"If you're actually sick..." Ray hated seeing his friend worked up and in pain. Taking in how disheveled and weak the normally composed, energetic and fearless scientist looked as he sat idle on the stool in obvious pain, Ray made a decision that he felt was in the best interest despite every fiber of his being telling him the opposite. "Alright, we'll go together."

"Good." Egon visibly relaxed and was able to take in a full deep breath and release it slowly. "Finish adjusting the third pack. We'll take care of the fourth en route to the Mercado."

Janine returned to the basement lab with Peter and Dana following behind her. "Winston is going to try to get back to the city, but it won't be easy." She update the two working men. "I'll stay by the phone in case he calls, alright?"

"Right." Ray acknowledged as he turned the screwdriver about inside the power panel of the pack.

Egon again kept his silence as the receptionist returned to the first floor once again.

"Egon," Peter approached the weary scientist with an arched eyebrow. "you look like Hell."

"Thank you Peter." Egon's reply was as dry as it was quiet. "I feel like Hell."

"You always were consistent." Peter picked up Egon's wrist and counted his pulse. "Your heart rate is elevated. You also feel feverish. Maybe you should go lay down for a while."

Ray chimed in without taking attention away from the proton pack. "That's what I told him."

"See?" Peter continued on as he watched Egon's eyes and pupils in the bright lighting of the lab. "Dr. Venkman is ready to prescribe bed rest. If you're good I'll prescribe a nurse to hope into the bed with you."

"No." Egon refuted stubbornly. "I'm going to the Mercado with you." He glanced toward Dana who was standing behind Peter. "I know what I'm doing."

Dana nodded her in approval and gave Egon a reassuring smile. She knew why Egon wanted to go. Having confided in her shortly after he regained consciousness Dana was confident in his decision and trusted his every intention.

"I also said that." Ray spoke up again. "But if Egon thinks he can make it then we better let him go."

"Thank you Ray." Egon appreciated Ray's support in the matter.

"Well alright then." Peter wasn't too happy about Egon going on a very dangerous bust while he was already injured, but like Ray he knew Egon was too obdurate to just sit idle. "What's the plan?"

Ray closed the power panel on the pack and charged it up. "We go to the hotel, find the gateway, lock it up and destroy the key."

"I like that plan." Peter smirked. "It's vague, dangerous and likely to get us all killed. Perfect!"

Finishing the adjustments required for the third proton pack Ray hefted the heavy device from the desk and onto his back. With an uncomfortable look on his face he grabbed for the second pack while Peter picked up the first. The doubled weight of the two packs caused Ray to groan with discomfort while making Peter grin with a bemused pleasure at watching the hulking movements of his colleague as he slowly made his way up the stairs.

"I could watch that all day." Peter chuckled as he followed Ray up the stairs. "No, really. He moves like a buffalo!" Pausing for a moment on the staircase Peter extended his arm and nodded toward Egon. "Coming dear?"

Dana could see that Egon was doing his best to hide his pain and wasn't exactly in a joking mood. Speaking up on behalf of the physicist she stood at his side put her hand lightly on his arm. "We'll join you in a minute. Get everything ready."

Peter looked at Dana, then to Egon and then back to Dana. "Playing favorites? I see how it is..." He resumed walking up the stairs in an exaggerated manner like a child pouting. "Honeymoon can't last forever." He quipped playfully. "Just don't tell Oscar! Or Ray! I can only handle one baby at a time!"

Ray's voice called out down the stairs and back into the lab. "I heard that!"

"Babies have great hearing." Peter jested as he disappeared onto the first floor. "Don't stay down there too long! Egon's fungi collection is starting to look like 'Audrey' meets pond scum."

Alone with Egon Dana's natural kindness flowed forward as she pressed the palm of her cool hand to his forehead. Fighting the urge to fully lean into her soft, cool touch Egon just focused on evening out his breathing, hoping it'd cause the lingering pain in his chest to mercifully subside. As horrendous as he felt in that moment he'd never admit, just as he'd never let his friends face a danger without him.

"You are running a fever." Dana confirmed as she pulled her hand away. "I know you want to go with them and I'm not going to try to change your mind, it won't do any good, but are you sure you can make it?"

Egon nodded weakly as he slowly stood up from the stool, mindful of the dizzy spell that had almost caused him to fall earlier. "I'm sure. I won't let them go alone. I won't let them go to their..." He trailed off morosely as the horrific image he had seen while so close to death taunted him. "I won't let it happen."

"Egon are you sure that what you saw was even real? You said so yourself that it could've been a hallucination or-"

"I know what I saw." Egon steadily made it was to the stairs, only to stop short and wince in pain. "And there's only one way to be sure that what I saw was a premonition, a bad dream or maybe even a warning."

"A warning?" Dana took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders while she wrapped her own arm around his waist. "From who?"

"I cannot say for sure." Egon admitted as Dana helped him to walk up the stairs. "But what I do know for sure is that every instinct in my body is telling me I have to go." Reaching the top landing Egon stood up as straight and tall as possible and took his arm from Dana. "If I don't go with them I fear I will regret it."

Dana watched as Egon limped more than he walked toward his locker on the far side of the garage. Both Ray and Peter were already at their own lockers were situated together with Egon's, and had already slipped into their own jumpsuits. Opening the locker Egon retrieved his gray jumpsuit and haltingly unzipped the garment as he tentatively prepared to pull it on over his clothes.

Janine was sitting behind her desk. She noticed Egon's limp and silently motioned for Dana to join her by using her right index finger. Leaning close she whispered to Dana. "Is Egon really alright? I've never seen him look so rough."

"He'll be fine." Dana reassured the wary receptionist. "He won't be alone, and we both know that Ray and Peter will keep a close eye on him."

"Yeah, you're right."

The lockers were a flurry of activity as the three Ghostbusters prepared themselves for the impending danger that they were sure to face at the Mercado.

"Need help?" Ray asked quietly after zipping his up his jumpsuit as he watched Egon struggling with the material of his own jumpsuit.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you Ray." His answer was quick but steady. Pulling his locker door toward his body to create a 'modesty' wall between himself, Dana and Janine, Egon removed his dark suit pants and stepped into the legs of the jumpsuit. "Are we ready to go?"

"Almost." Ray slipped on his his paragoggles and tested the unique device's power levels. "Venkman is going to throw in the fourth pack just in case we need a back up. Never know what could happen on a night like tonight."

"Good idea." Egon pulled off the button down black shirt and weakly slipped on a black t-shirt over his bandaged chest. His held his breath with every move and Ray noticed the forced effort being exerted just to change clothes. "Make sure Janine has the correct address for the Mercado. If Winston shows up we'll need him at the hotel right away."

Peter slammed his locker shut and gave Egon a curious glance. "Shy?"

Egon blushed a little, but against his paled complexion he looked beet red. "Modest."

"Humble." Peter decided as slipped on his black gloves. "One last check and then we're hitting the road. Be sure to use the bathroom before we leave because I am not stopping!"

Egon zipped up his jumpsuit and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"Then let's go." Ray put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "I'll drive."

"Like always."

"Not always!" Ray defended a little only because he loved Ecto-1 like a child loves his toy. "...but often."

"Got it." Peter carried the fourth proton pack from the basement lab and opened the rear compartment of the hearse best known as Ecto-1. Placing the pack alongside the other three Peter slammed the compartment door shut and turned on his heel to make eye contact with Dana. "Now, I'm going to get you."

Walking over to his beautiful, courageous bride Peter embraced her tightly and gave her a firm kiss on her lips. "If something were to happen to me-"

"Don't say that." Dana pressed her fingers to his lips. "Don't even think like that."

"But if something does happen to me, just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Never remarry."

Laughing cheerfully Dana kissed him one more time and pressed her head into his shoulder as he continued to hold her in a warm hug. "Please be careful."

"I will." Peter kissed her forehead and rubbed his hands up and down her back. "I promise."

Ray opened the driver's side door and jingled the keys from his fingers. "We better get going. We have only..." he looked down at his watch.

"Five hours and twelve minutes." Egon had been keeping track of the time in his head. He opened the passenger side door and pushed the seat forward so he could climb into the back to ride in the jump-seat. His movements were sluggish but remained precise with every effort. "I'll make adjustments to the fourth pack en route."

Peter reluctantly released Dana from his hug. "Stay here. Stay with Janine. If Winston shows up send him our way. Let him know what's going on." He whispered into her ear so that the others couldn't hear. "I love you. I love Oscar. I can't bear the thought of losing either of you, stay safe."

"I will." Dana wrapped her hand around his and squeezed tight. "Now go. We're counting on you."

Taking his hand from Dana's Peter jogged over to Ecto-1 and climbed into the passenger side seat beside Ray.

"Good luck!" Janine called out as the three men prepared to face off with an otherworldly foe. "We believe in you!"

Throwing on his seat belt Peter looked over his shoulder to Egon. "Ready?"

"Ready." Egon confirmed as the sound of metal clanking beneath his hands echoed through the car. "We need to get moving."

Ray turned the key in the ignition. "Let's go."

The iconic hearse screeched loudly as it exited the fire house and raced down the street toward the hotel in the distance. The distinct siren atop the car sang its song as the flashing lights illuminated the streets like a much needed beacon of hope for the dreary, desolate city; as the ethereal storm began to rumble to life with thunder, glow with lightning flashes and soak the abandoned streets in an icy rain.

Egon glanced out the window at the strengthening storm overhead and sighed as he made adjustments to the fourth proton pack. "The calm before the storm. If only it were in fact calm."

Sitting in the rear of Ecto-1 with the fourth pack in his hands, Egon couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the intense nightmare he had dreamt while laying so close to death. The vision in his mind was just as clear as it was now as it was then. Every sight, every sound and even the smells were unmistakable to his keen mind and trained senses.

Closing his eyes he leaned back in his seat and replayed the macabre image in his mind.

[Standing outside a dark and ominous building that stretched eternally into a powerful storm, Egon stepped inside with Ray and Peter at his sides.

A pool of blood spread from beneath his feet as Ray walked alone to a large door. The door opened and Ray was gone in a flash of light and thunder.

Peter had vanished into a room of darkness, his screams of terror echoing through the hotel as his final plea for his life rang out unanswered.

Egon saw himself wandering into the darkness as if he were being pulled along on a string. It was then he found Peter laying sprawled on the ground, not moving and covered in a red layer of what could only be described as blood.

Unable to aid his friend as the darkness swallowed Peter's body Egon turned and saw Ray standing before a swirling portal of pure energy. From within the portal a hand reached out and passed through Ray's body, causing the man to shudder in pain as his eyes rolled back in his head and his knees buckled beneath him.

Egon heard his own voice crying out in protest just seconds before a shrieking spirit emerged from the portal and cast a shockwave of immense ethereal power that energized the very same portal with a renewed vitality. From the center of the portal a humanoid figure, cloaked in black veils and a hood, emerged with a finger pointed at the last Ghostbuster standing.

'Kismet.'

[All went black.]

"Hey, Egon? Egon!" Ray's voice emerged from the darkness. "You fall asleep back there?"

"Huh?" Egon was brought back to reality and breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were still safe. "I'm awake. Just... thinking."

Peter butted in quickly. "Well stop it! You're too quiet when you think. Never trust the quiet ones..."

Ecto-1 pulled to a gentle stop in front of the Mercado Hotel. Above the building the blue tinted storm swirled about violently as bright flashes of lightning illuminated the clouds accompanied by deafening thunder. The cold rain began to pour down heavier and with larger drops until the entire block was being submerged in the ethereal cascade of the icy downpour. Strong gusts of wind shook the building, the car and everything that it blew against.

Stepping out of the car Egon, Peter and Ray all looked up with awe at the old, infamous and haunted hotel with a sense of dread tightening around their hearts.

Spots of rain formed on Egon's glasses as he looked upward to the blue storm overhead. Through the small dots he watched the lightning dancing through the thick clouds. "We need to move quickly. We can't let the storm reach its maximum potential power."

"Agreed." Ray ran a hand through his damp locks. "Let's get the packs."

As the three intrepid Ghostbusters opened the storage compartment at the rear of Ecto-1 the sound of howling wind and heavy drops of rain soaking into their jumpsuits provided the only commentary on the situation, as the trio of paranormal investigators were at a rare loss for words.

Ray let out a huff as Peter slid the first proton pack onto his back. After securing the indispensable tool around his shoulders and waist Ray returned the favor and assisted Peter in securing the second pack over his own shoulders.

Egon eyed the third pack warily, knowing that with his injuries the additional weight of the necessary proton pack would not only cause immense pain but it would slow down his movements considerably. Unwilling to let his friends venture into the hotel without him, unwilling to risk his own life by returning to the same place that had nearly killed him while unarmed, Egon braced himself for the inevitable strain he would have to endure.

Ray approached Egon with the third pack in his hands and an unsure look in his eyes. "Are you ready? I could carry the pack for you."

"No, I'm ready Ray." He turned so his back was to his friend. "I'm not going in there unarmed and I don't want you or Venkman to keep looking over your shoulder for me."

"Okay then. Hold your breath." Ray instructed as he slipped the pack's straps over Egon's shoulders for him.

Egon clenched his teeth as he forced himself to silently bear the burning pain that flared up in his chest thanks to added weight. As soon as he felt the two straps loop around his shoulders he stood up straight and easily fastened the support belt around his waist.

Ray put a supportive hand on Egon's shoulders as he watched his friend's pale face mask the pain he was dying to scream out.

"Let's go." Egon finally stated as he breathed through his pain.

Peter presented the PKE meter to Egon by pressing is against his upper chest. "Your toy, Egon."

"Thank you, Peter." Egon accepted the still damaged device and fastened it to the side of his belt.

Extending an arm outward toward the main entrance of the hotel, and lifting the police tape upward with his other hand Peter shot Egon and Ray a confident smirk. "Shall we? It's not everyday we have the chance to break into a hotel undetected."

Thunder roared angrily through the stormy sky as the downpour increased in strength and chill.

Ray led the march as the trio made their way back into the hotel. The front lobby felt incredibly eerie although nothing had been disturbed since it had been abandoned just a few hours prior. It was still, dark, the air itself felt heavy and the only sound came from the phone on the receptionists desk left off the hook and buzzing with an error signal.

Dropped luggage, purses and bags littered the floor, as well as shards of broken glass from the shattered light bulbs that normally illuminated the lobby from the walls and ceiling.

Rain dripped from the clothing and hair of the Ghostbusters as they took in the sight all around them. Small puddles form under their feet and blossomed outward over the red carpet, giving an eerie look of spilled blood.

Egon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the sight unfolding before him.

"Cheery." Peter remarked as he strolled over the dropped items, glass grinding into powder beneath his heavy black boots with each stride.

"Desolate." Ray tagged on as he walked toward the elevator and pressed the call button.

Egon felt a twinge of fear as he watched Ray standing beside the elevator waiting for the doors to open. "Ray, we need to check the basement." He urged while keeping his voice level. "And with the unpredictable storm rocking the city we should avoid all elevators at all costs."

Ray was chilled by Egon's logic and took a step back. "Good idea. Stairs are fine. Good cardio." As he turned to look back to Egon he could see the unmistakable glimmer of fear burning in the physicist's eyes. "Egon, you okay?"

"Fine." Egon forced the words through his choked up throat. "I'm fine."

Peter found the phone off the hook and slammed it down, hard, on the receiver. In turn both Egon and Ray jumped in surprise at the sudden crashing noise.

"I hate that buzzing noise." Peter sneered wickedly knowing that he had scared his otherwise unshakable colleagues. "Reminds me of every girl who rejected me."

Egon pressed a hand to his sore chest as the motion of jumping aggravated his injury. "Come on. We need to get to the basement and find that furnace."

"The furnace?" Ray questioned as he approached the stairwell. "I thought we needed to find the portal first."

"The furnace is acting like a battery, it's charging the portal. If we stop the battery, cut off the power supply, then we have a better chance of keeping the portal closed."

Peter took the wand of his proton pack in hands and powered up the device with the same wicked smirk plastered on his face. "Allow me. I want to get back at that harpy who yelled at me. And I didn't even do anything wrong!"

Following Peter down the stairwell and into the basement Egon kept his eyes peeled for any other sign or sound of the horrific images he had seen in his nightmare. Ray on the other hand was too fascinated by the prospect of seeing a banshee in person that he didn't seem to notice that Egon was trailing behind and kept darting his eyes around suspiciously.

Leading the way through the dark winding corridors of the basement Peter kept one hand in the air as he searched for the low hanging pipe that he had bumped into during his first venture down through the darkness. "Ah-ha!" Peter's hand bumped into the pipe and he grabbed onto it. "Not this time."

"Are we close?" Ray asked as he pressed one hand to the wall for guidance and his other hand forward to detect the same pipe that Peter had found.

"Very." Peter replied confidently. "Just one more turn. Green light means go..."

The eerie green glow of the furnace acted as an ominous beacon for the approaching trio.

"Ready or not," Peter primed his proton pack and aimed straight ahead, ready to turn the corner and blast the infernal device. "here we come!"

As soon as the furnace was in his sights Peter unleashed the proton stream and struck the ghostly machine dead center. The stream wrapped around the furnace like a coiling snake and ensnared all of the energy that had been emanated by the device in an aura of protonic power.

The shriek of the banshee who had been guarding the furnace echoed loudly through the basement. The hollow eyed face and wisping hair emerged from the furnace as the harpy struggled against the proton stream. A face Egon recognized from his darkest of nightmares...

"Got her!" Peter shouted over her screeches. "Ray! Egon!"

"Right behind ya'!" Ray announced as he planted his feet firmly standing beside Peter. Unleashing his own proton stream the banshee was forced back into the furnace and her voice was silenced. "It's working!"

Egon moved in behind Ray and kneeled down on the floor. Detaching the trap from the clasp on his proton pack Egon slid it across the floor and watched as it came to rest just in front of the furnace. "Opening the trap!" Smashing his hand down on the button the trap opened with a brilliant beam of light that drew in the form of the banshee like a moth to a flame. "She's going in!"

"Peter, Egon, look!" Ray motioned quickly with one hand to the furnace. "It's starting to melt!"

Sure enough the metal that had housed the source of the portal's power was beginning to overheat and as a result melt away. Small drips of molten metal fell to the floor and seared the concrete with an acrid smell.

"We must have the right frequency." Egon deduced quickly. "If we can destroy this battery then we can destroy the portal!"

"Good to know." Peter's dry retort went without further comment.

With one final burst of energy the banshee sank into the trap and Egon smashed the button one last time to close the trap on the horrific specter. "She's gone!" Retrieving the trap Egon fired his own proton stream at the furnace alongside Peter and Ray.

The three powerful beams quickly heated the metal of the furnace and caused it to puddle down into a foundry like stain on the floor. A surge of energy escaped the furnace and dissipated through the air in a puff of green smoke. With the destruction of the furnace came a reignition of warmth and light throughout the basement of the hotel.

"It's gone..." Peter triumphantly switched off his proton pack first. "And so is that loud mouthed shrew!"

Ray and Egon switched off their packs as well, feeling secured.

"No fuel no fire. Cut off the head," Egon commented in a low tone as he stood upright. "and the body dies."

"Like cockroaches." Peter tagged on feeling somewhat bold after capturing the banshee. "But it just wouldn't be New York without them."

"Come on." Ray backed away from the melted furnace cautiously. "We need to get to the roof and close down the portal before it does any real damage to the city.

Exiting the basement as a quickened pace, with Peter still leading the charge, Egon couldn't help but feel uneasy as the trio marched through the hotel. Something about their successful capture seemed a little off, something didn't feel right to the keen eyes physicist. Ray walked at a slower rate to ensure that Egon didn't trail too far behind. Glancing over his shoulder to his colleague Ray could sense that there was something bothering Egon.

"Something on your mind?" Ray asked nonchalantly as he followed Peter through the blackened, winding basement corridor.

"Perhaps." Egon was too unsure with his own reasoning to make a definitive claim. "Perhaps not."

Peter overheard the conversation and mumbled his own opinion. "You always did like a mystery Spengz. You're reading too far into this, I'm tell you!"

Ray brushed off Peter's dismissive behavior and humored Egon. "What's bothering you?"

Egon shook his head a little as the trio continued to exit the basement. Holding up the still smoking trap in his hand he presented it to his colleagues with a stern look in his eyes. "This creature is a powerful corporeal entity, one of legend. Yet we managed to capture it very quickly and with surprisingly little difficulty. Why?"

Peter cocked his head to one side as he offered a theory. "She was guarding the furnace, that was really a ghost battery. A guard dog isn't exactly a threat when three super charged proton packs are available. We've taken down bigger foes with smaller weapons before."

"No, Peter. I mean why exactly would a legendary ghost act as a guard to begin with? Surely weaker and more abundant ghosts could be summoned to guard a singular object in an isolated, unoccupied space. I don't like it. I feel like we're being tested."

"How's that?" Ray questioned curiously. "Because an above average ghost was summoned instead of a run of the mill subordinate? Maybe this ghost we're dealing with is smarter than the others in the past. This ghost knows we're coming and-" Ray stopped midsentence to swallow nervously as he caught onto Egon's suspicions. "Oh..."

"Precisely." Egon gave the trap in his hand a wary glance. "Whatever it is we're about to face we must be prepared. We..." Egon trailed off as he mouthed the word 'prepare' to himself. "Kismet: Was it a warning, or a challenge?"

Peter was growing impatient with his colleagues loitering in the dark corridor. "Egon, you're reading WAY to much into this! You had a pretty intense near death experience, you're venturing into the very location that sparked said experience and now you're suffering from paranoia." Turning around quickly Peter took two steps forward. "And I for one-" A loud 'crash' of metal followed by a heavy 'whump' ended Peter's thought.

"Peter?" Ray called for his friend. "You okay?"

Egon stared wide eyed at Peter who was laying on the floor in a daze. He was prone, helpless and surrounded by darkness.

Ray snatched the trap from Egon's hand, clipped it to his own belt and then knelt on the floor beside Peter. "You alright?"

"I hate pipes." Peter grumbled as he slowly sat upright. "I think they're after me." He pressed a hand to his forehead for a moment before staring at his palm. "I can't tell, am I bleeding?"

Ray took a closer look at Peter's forehead. "A little. You won't need any stitches though." Offering his downed friend a hand he pulled Peter back up to his feet. "What's our next play? We can't walk away from this, time is running out."

"Not sure." Peter pressed his hand to his forehead again before finally taking another step forward, continuing to lead the way through the dark basement back to the first floor. "It'd help us all out on a major scale if we had some idea of who we're dealing with. I mean, no one just picks a random building in New York to resurrect or summon a demigod and lucks out!"

Ray noticed Egon was still standing alone in the darkness. "Egon, you coming?"

Egon didn't budge, he didn't say a word. He stood in a silent daze as an unnerving fear crept up his spine.

"Egon?" Ray walked back to the statuesque physicist and put a hand on his arm. "Talk to me."

"Huh? What did you say?" Egon snapped back to reality and stared at Ray as he did his best to keep himself from trembling.

"You okay?" Ray asked sincerely as his slipped his hand down from Egon's arm to hand and wrapped his fingers around Egon's wrist. "Geez, Spengler you're heart's racing!"

"I'm fine." Egon lied, knowing that his colleagues were too educated, his friends were too close to him to be fooled. "Just a little... off."

"Off?" Peter repeated with a scoff. "If that isn't the understatement of the day. Come on, let's get back to ground level. I'm so tired of the darkness."

"Me too." Ray agreed as he put a hand on Egon's shoulder to usher him forward.

"You have no idea..." Egon all but whispered as he finally took another step forward. "Let's hope we can stop it before it spreads any further."

* * *

At the firehouse Dana and Janine sat by the phone anxiously, with bittersweet feelings about it remaining silent on the hook. No news usually meant good news, but it could also be the worst news possible. What if the Ghostbusters hadn't call for help because they couldn't? Maybe the were hurt, maybe they were lost, maybe they were... gone.

"Dana, do you think they'll be alright?" Janine broke the tense silence as she reluctantly broke eye contact with the phone sitting idle on her desk and chose instead to look at her just as worried friend.

Nodding Dana gave a shaking reply. "I do. Peter is very resourceful, Ray is very clever and Egon thrives under pressure. I'm certain they're fine."

"Yeah, sure. But Egon is hurt and without Winston with them it's like they went in at half capacity!"

Dana wrung her hands together as a new sense of dread weighed on her heart. "They were busting ghosts before Winston joined the team, and they've managed to stop horrible monsters from destroying the world before. I know they can do it again."

The doors of the firehouse burst open as the blowing wind surged through the streets of the city. The lights flickered as thunder shook the entire building.

"They will." A familiar, confident masculine voice echoed through the firehouse. With his clothing soaked through and a confident stride a much needed member of the team finally arrived. "And I'm going to make sure of it."

"Winston!" Dana rushed from her chair and ran over the fourth member of the team. "Boy am I glad to see you!" Wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug the weight lifted from her chest and she felt a renewed sense of confidence. "They're already down at the Mercado Hotel. They said they'll need all the help they can get."

"On it." Winston returned Dana's hug before letting go and opening his locker on the far wall. "And if the guys think they'll need some help then that means whatever it is they're dealing with isn't something to be taken lightly." As he pulled out his jumpsuit and slipped off his heavier, rain drenched leather jacket, he gave Dana a solemn request. "Dana, I'm going to need you to tell me everything that's happened. I've been out of the loop for some time and I can't afford to make any mistakes."

Dana folded her arms across her chest as she looked back to Janine, who was still staying right beside the phone.

"It's been a little strange, but I think I can tell you what you need to know."

* * *

Looking toward the elevator that offered a quick ascent to the roof, Ray and Peter waited for Egon to say something.

"Well?" Ray spoke up softly. "Do we take the elevator or hike it up to the roof?"

Egon wasn't willing to trust the elevator but he was less trusting of their time limit. Knowing that Peter would definitely choose to take the elevator, while Ray would be stick with Egon himself, the idea of splitting up and losing track of each other was the one thing he didn't want to risk.

"We don't have much of a choice." Egon motioned toward the elevator doors. "We need to get up to the roof, now."

"Fantastic!" Peter promptly pressed the call button for the elevator and stood outside the doors with a cocky smile. "I draw the line at walking up any floors past twenty three."

The doors to the elevator shuddered open with a weak sounding 'ding'. The interior of the elevator car was marked with Egon's now dried blood from his initial visit to the hotel. Sickly sweet smell of copper and ozone was heavy in the air.

"The maid service at this hotel is seriously lacking." Peter quipped as he uneasily stepped inside the car, doing his best to ignore the blood stains. "Going up?"

Ray and Egon stepped inside the elevator car and stood beside Peter nervously. As the doors shut the trio saw the ethereal downpour continuing through the windows of the lobby. The wind gusted by with such force that the windows and doors rattled and it could be heard echoing through the shaft of the elevator above the car. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the three venturing Ghostbusters prepared for the final ascent.

"Ready?" Ray asked Egon he took in how tired and weak Egon still looked.

"Ready."

"Then let's do this." Peter declared as he pressed the button for the top floor. "Time to finish this, once and for all."

As the elevator continued to rise higher and higher, nearing the top floor of the hotel, the building shuddered violently with each powerful gust of stormy wind that blew across the city. Lightning flashed through the dark sky as thunder rumbled with a deafening crash that caused the three occupants of the elevator to flinch and watch the flickering lights nervously.

"Are we there yet?" Peter grimaced bitterly as he too was becoming as nervous as Egon. Watching the floor numbers increase and tick on by, he powered up his proton pack once again "I'm getting bored."

"Not just yet." Ray answered as he too powered up his own proton pack. "But we can't just rush out there, we don't know what's waiting for us."

Egon didn't say anything. He was too preoccupied with trying to remember the dark details of his nightmare; his educated instincts telling him that even what may be considered insignificant could possibly carry the heaviest of consequences.

The elevator came to a jolting stop on the first floor, the entire elevator shaft shuddering and echoing with the howling wind of the strengthening storm that threatened to tear the building, if not the entire city, apart.

As the doors slowly opened with a high pitched 'ding' the overhead lights flickered once again, dimming the entire building for a few seconds before resuming its normal illumination.

"Come on." Ray led the charge as he stepped out of the elevator first. He checked his left and his right with his proton wand aimed and ready to strike anything that came their way. "It's clear. Let's move."

Peter rolled his eyes at Ray's overzealous nature. "Good, the twin girls from 'The Shining' won't get us as long as Ray's here." He paused just a few steps outside the elevator as he watched Ray carefully walk toward the doorway at the end of the hall that would give them access to the roof. Looking back over his shoulder he noticed that Egon hadn't budged. "Spenz, you forget how to walk?"

Egon blinked a few times as Peter's voice brought him back from his daze. "Just thinking."

"Stop it. You think too much." Peter refuted in a playful attempt to get Egon to smile, if not relax just a little. "Come on, keep up. Everything will be fine. We've beaten the odds before."

"Yes we have. But the odds still outweigh us. We can't afford to let our guard down." Egon stepped out of the elevator and stood at Peter's side. His pale face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat that glistened noticeably in the overhead light. "It almost took me down, remember?"

"I do remember." Peter replied completely serious, his tone steady and firm with each word as he spoke. "And I'm the one who refused to give up on you. Nothing against Ray or Dana by any means," sincerely he never intended to blame anyone for anything that had previously transpired. "but I'm not the one who's going to just surrender or run away."

Egon nodded in approval. "Neither will I." Powering up his proton pack he held the wand in a tight grip with both hands. "Promise."

Ray had waited for his colleagues to join him at the end of the hall. Having heard their conversation he offered his own vow of courage. "Same here. As long as one of us is willing to fight back then there will always be a chance."

Regrouping at the end of the hallway the three looked toward the door that connected to the stairwell that leads to the roof of the Mercado. The door had been shut automatically since Peter and Ray's previous entry.

"Hopefully it's still unlocked." Ray remarked as he put his hand to the metallic handle. "Ready?"

Peter and Egon just nodded with understanding as they aimed at the door with their proton wands primed.

Ray stepped to the side of the door, pressing his back against the wall beside the door frame. Pushing the handle down the door was set ajar from the frame. With a swift shove he pushed the door opened fully and turned his face away, just in case Peter or Egon opened fire.

"Nothing." Egon sighed as he lowered his aim. "We're clear."

Ray turned his head back to the opened door and let his shoulders sag as his tension eased. "Okay, let's keep moving."

Peter took the first step forward with Egon following. Ray stepped in line behind Egon. The trio walked into the dark, concrete stairwell and walked up the hard, gray steps with absolute focus.

The exterior door at the top of the steps was closed, but an aura of blue light flowed through the door frame and basked the door with an ethereal glow. The door shook violently on its hinges as the wind gusted harshly against the building and over the roof top. The sound of thunder was loud as if the door itself wasn't providing any form of sound barrier in the least. Bright flashes of lightning would sporadically brighten the aura all the more. A distinct heaviness in the air was cold, foreboding.

Tentatively Peter put his hand on the metallic handle of the door. Giving Egon and Ray a confident nod of his head he pushed the door open and was greeted with a powerful, icy blast of wind to his face. Putting one hand up to shield hid eyes from the drying, chilly wind Peter stepped forward and into the paranormal glow that beamed across the rooftop. Egon and Ray followed close behind as they too pushed themselves forward through the wind and onto the roof.

The storm swirled violently as it expanded in every direction further outward. Lightning flashed frequently, rarely giving time for one flash to dissipate before the next flash lit up the sky. Thunder roared loudly and shook the entire building to its base and continued to shake the surrounding block.

Looking upward and into the storm Peter, Ray and Egon stood side by side with their proton wands aimed and their eyes focused on every movement that danced through the clouds.

"Prepare." The same, deep voice that had threatened the Ghostbusters previously returned. It echoed as loud as the thunder from the storm itself. "The end draws nigh."

Ray swallowed nervously but didn't budge from where he stood. Peter and Egon stared with great intent at the storm as they tried to find the source of the voice. The trio kept their ground and showed no fear as they braved the unearthly threat.

A single bolt of lightning struck down from the center of the storm and struck the rooftop with a violent crash. A surge of static washed over the rooftop like a wave, causing the three men to flinch and shield their eyes once more.

From the smoldering crater of the lightning strike an orb of white light rose and hovered a few feet above the crater. Another energy filled the air causing the heaviness to become nearly insurmountable. The orb steady grew in radius with a pulsing aura, one that was eerily reminiscent of a beating heart.

"What's going on?" Ray asked excitedly. "A portal to the other side?"

Egon answered flatly as his gaze became transfixed on the expanding orb. "I believe so. Who ever had been lurking over the city is about to finally arrive."

The sound of shoes clicking atop the roof drew the men's attention from the orb itself to the figure who was walking toward them from behind the orb. "You are correct, Dr. Spengler." The female voice confirmed his suspicions. "I warned you about busting ghosts on hotel property now, didn't I?"

Peter's eyes widened with shock at the threaten voice from beyond the orb. "Friend of yours Egon?"

Egon's gaze heated into an intense glare. "Not exactly, but it all makes sense now." His tone became very terse as he put the pieces of the puzzle into place. "Who better to oversee the construction of the furnace, the construction of the paranormal battery than someone who works in the hotel itself? She is the receptionist of the hotel. She is the one responsible for everything."

With a confident stride that comes from only from someone who exudes complete control the hotel receptionist placed herself between the portal and the three Ghostbusters. Flashing a mug grin with a hollow eyed stare of utter insanity through her glasses, she extended her arms as if to introduce the city to the impending chaos that she intended to unleash in a single act of fury.

Egon took a step forward as he prepared to confront the power hungry woman. "Why have you done this? To what purpose will the destruction of serve?"

Ray was still nervous, his body beginning to tremble anxiously. "Egon... don't get too close to her."

Peter glanced over to Ray to reassure the wary man. "He knows what he's doing."

The receptionist lowered her arms and stared with intent at the bold physicist. "Destruction of this city, and all of the wretched people who dare to claim this place as their own, is merely a warning."

"Warning?" Egon's hands tightened around the proton wand as every fiber of his being told him to stay on his guard. "Warning to what?"

"Doomsday." She smiled wickedly as she spoke with a twisted pleasure. "This world is run by beings who think themselves too clever, to righteous to fall. War, famine, pestilence and death: this is not the work of Four Horsemen, no, it is the work of mankind. This world is too sick to survive, and I intend to put it out of its misery."

"Too sick to survive..." Egon quietly repeated her words to himself as a knot formed in his stomach.

Ray recognized that particular phrase, he was sure of it. "Haven't we heard that sentiment before?"

"Yes." Egon confirmed as he held his ground. "It was the reasoning behind every action, every decision made by Ivo Shandor."

Peter felt a twinge of fear run his blood cold. "The founder of the Gozer cult." He took one step forward near Egon's left shoulder and aimed his proton wand at the strange woman. "His followers are truly dedicated, I will admit it. But right now I have a score to settle with this Shandor nut."

Egon arched his brow as he heard the anger brewing in Peter's voice.

"Not only does this Shandor lunatic-"

The woman silenced Peter with her own bitter retort. "Hold your tongue mortal."

Peter wasn't deterred. "As I was saying, thanks to this Shandor fool, the woman that I love was terrorized, possessed, transformed and put in a life or death struggle that continues to haunt her to this day. Not to mention your leader brainwashing you and all your weak minded little minions into carrying on these 'end of the world' seances for almost a full century; wasting everyone's valuable time, AND you tried to kill Egon! No way sister," he took another step forward. "tonight is the final meeting for your little cult."

With those words Ray too stepped forward, standing at Egon's right shoulder.

As stubborn and impulsive as Peter could be, he was not a man without mercy. "Stop what you're doing now, end this before it gets any worse."

The woman extended her arms once more, taking a T pose as she stood before the bright portal. The light of the portal outlined her body in an ethereal glow. She took a step back and positioned herself just outside the portal and shot the Ghostbusters an evil grin. "It cannot be stopped." She took another step back and looked upward at the storm raging overhead.

"Don't do that!" Ray pleaded as he watched her step dangerously close to the portal. "Just... just come back over here!"

"Prepare." She all but hissed as she closed her eyes and fall backward into the portal, vanishing into the ethereal glow.

The trio watched in stunned silence as the portal churned to life, its energy combining with that of the storm that swirled over the building. The two energies merged, doubling in strength and creating a dense, eerie mist that billowed out from the portal, bathing the roof in a paranormal fog.

"We have to close the portal." Egon decided as he watched in a near trance as the portal emanated an incalculable strength. "We need to stop her before she has a chance to do anything else."

"Let's light it up." Peter was more than ready to fire a proton stream.

A sudden flash of lightning blinded the trio, causing them to stumble backward as they dropped their proton wands and pressed their hands against their burning eyes.

A high pitched squeal filled the air as an electrical surge swept over their equipment.

"What's that?!" Peter asked loudly as he blinked a few times to try and clear the dancing spots from his vision.

"Something is overheating..." Egon knew every sound the equipment made, knowing that in that moment something was about to fail catastrophically. "Check your packs!"

Before any of the men had a chance to even slip off the packs from their backs the high pitched squeal reached its peak and the smell of ozone and iron filled the air. Blue smoke began to pour from Ray's belt.

"Ray!" Peter spotted the smoke and alerted his friend. "Watch out!"

Fire and black smoke filled the air as a loud explosion rocked the rooftop, knocking the trio from their feet. The all too familiar, haunting and ear splitting scream of the banshee's cry screeched through the city.

Egon was thrown to his side during the explosion. Slowly rolling over onto his chest he put his arms beneath himself and carefully pushed his body up from the ground. The searing pain in his chest gnawing at every nerve as even the smallest movement put too much strain on his injured chest. Peering through the dark smoke he saw the figures of his two colleagues sprawled out not too far away.

"Ray? Venkman?" Egon called out as the acrid smoke began to clear.

Peter was the first to stir. Sitting upright, awkwardly trying to balance himself with the heavy weight of his proton pack resisting his movements, he looked over to Egon and replied calmly. "I'm alright. Ray, you okay?"

Ray was laying face down on the roof, not moving.

"Ray?" Egon asked again as he forced himself to crawl over his to downed friend. "Answer us."

Peter didn't like the tone of Egon's voice and especially didn't like the unresponsive Ray laying prone on the roof. "Ray? Ray say something."

Egon reached Ray first and put his hand on Ray's back. He could feel that Ray was still breathing which was always a good sign. It was then he saw a black, charred burn on Ray's lower back, running down the side of his hip and down his upper leg. Metallic shards jutted outward painfully from Ray's back, side and leg, and large pieces of debris lay scattered about the roof like shrapnel.

"Peter..." Egon had discovered the source of the explosion and which piece of equipment had overheated. "The trap. It exploded."

"What?" Peter scrambled over to Ray and looked down at his wounded friend's side. "The trap exploded? How did that happen?"

Egon bowed his head in shame as he looked down at the fresh burn that tore into Ray's body. "It was my fault."

"Your fault? How's that?" He put one hand on Ray's arm as he waited for any sign of regained consciousness from Ray.

"I adjusted the frequency for the proton packs to ensure that we can seal the portal. I hadn't anticipated capturing a ghost beforehand. I hadn't adjusted the trap accordingly, it couldn't take the additional power surge. The trap exploded because of my negligence."

Peter just stared in awe at Egon. He had never before seen the usually confident man so weighted with doubt before. "Egon, you didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident, alright? This wasn't your fault."

A massive burst of blue light from the portal drew Egon and Peter's attention back to the opened gateway to the other side. From within the portal a figure emerged.

"Who's that?" Peter asked as he tried to recognize the approaching figure. Never moving from Ray side he watched the figure's every move.

Egon didn't have the answer. Keeping his silence Egon discreetly reached for his proton wand, holding it out of sight at his side.

The figure stepped closer and revealed herself to be the very receptionist who had set things in motion. However, it was merely the receptionist's body. She was now acting as a vessel for the ethereal force to bring about the end of the world.

"I am the Augur." Her voice was the same dominating, booming voice that had threatened the Ghostbusters before hand. "The time has come."

Augur radiated an unfathomable power as it used the receptionist's body to walk from the ethereal plane to the mortal world. Steadily the human features of the receptionist faded away as a more demonic aesthetic took hold. Her short black hair lengthened to her waist as it took on a fiery red color, as her dark brown eyes brightened to a lime green and her fair skin became almost ivory white. Two small protrusions formed beneath her skin at her hairline and emerged as two separate, sharp horns. As she smiled wickedly her teeth seemed to angle abruptly into a fanged grin of sinister intent.

Just as easily as her physical appearance changed, as did her attire. The commonplace red blazer and black slacks of her uniform disintegrated in a cloud of smoldering orange embers, leaving a flowing thin, black veil which wrapped around her entire body; starting at her chest, encircling her waist and her hips, while trailing down her left leg. Two individualized strips from the same veil extended from the top of her chest and wove around her upper arms to her elbows.

Taking a barefooted step forward storm quieted in both its crashing thunder and lightning strikes as the wind slowed to a calm breeze.

"Egon," Peter spoke in a low tone as he kept his voice from shaking with the fear that welled up in his throat. "she's coming toward us. We should do something now..."

Unwilling to flee from the confrontation or leave Ray behind Egon could only rise to his feet and aim his proton wand at the newly arrived demigoddess of destruction.

Peter mirrored Egon's move and fixed his gaze upon the horrifyingly beautiful figure. "Freeze! You have one chance to return to your world and leave our world in peace." He warned in a harsh voice. "Choose wisely."

Augur paused her movements, unphased by the seemingly empty threat. She gave Peter an evil glare that sent a chill up his spine before giving the same icy stare to Egon. Focusing on Ray, who was still unconscious and face down on the roof, she pointed a finger at the prone Ghostbuster.

"No!" Egon yelled as he reacted quickly, perceiving her swift gesture as an impending attack. Firing directly at the Augur's chest he unleashed a blast of his proton stream.

The intense beam of energy from the proton pack managed to push Augur backward, closer to the portal from whence the ethereal power flowed. Augur attempted to deflect the beam with the raise of her hand, but Peter used his own proton stream to keep her movements all the more restricted.

"We got her!" Peter called out as he attempted to take a step forward, putting himself between Augur and helpless Ray. "Don't mess with Ray, that's my job!"

The high pitched scream of the banshee lashed out with an ear splitting siren song. Egon and Peter struggled to keep their aim steady as the urge to cover their ears to shield away the deafening cry tempted them with each passing second with the painful cry echoing across the rooftop.

From beyond the portal the banshee swept through the air, passing by Augur and tackling Peter with a mighty shove!

"Peter!" Egon watched in horror as he his friend was sent flying backward through the air, the proton stream being shut down in the process.

Without the second stream to hold her at bay Augur managed to raise her hand, deflect Egon's single particle stream and cause a power surge that sent Egon falling to the ground under a painful wave of power.

Satisfied with the current condition of the weakened Ghostbusters Augur lifted her arms out to its sides and began to float from the roof and up to the sky with minimal effort. Static charged the air as the demigoddess began absorb any and all untapped energy that lingered in the stormy air.

Peter struggled to get back up, to get off his back and onto one knee so he could aim and fire again, but the banshee circled around him and tried to claw at his face. Using the proton wand as a small barricade between himself and the menacing banshee he was unable to fire or to get to his feet.

"Peter..." Egon was laying on his side with his eyes shut tight, one arm wrapped around his chest as the impact surely reopened the healing wounds that had already hindered his every move. "I... I can't..."

"Don't let her touch Ray!" Peter responded boldly as he continued to fight against the banshee. "Get him to safety!"

Egon forced his eyes open. Looking at Ray, who was laying defenselessly just a few feet away, Egon made the only logical decision he could process. Using one arm he slowly, awkwardly dragged himself across the roof and over to Ray and pressed his hand against Ray's neck; needing to feel the pulse as reassurance. With one arm still wrapped protectively around his throbbing chest, Egon used his one free hand and rolled Ray from his stomach and onto his uninjured side. Egon then patted the sides of Ray's face in attempt to awaken his downed friend.

"Ray, look at me. Wake up." Egon begged as he watched Augur hovering above the portal, fueling itself on the remaining power contained within the storm clouds above. "We need your help." Egon winced in tremendous pain as every muscle in his chest began spasming from the continued physical assault he had endured in such a short amount of time. "We... We can't do this alone!"

Peter continued to struggle with the banshee. Having wrested the wand out of the spiritual siren's grip he took a quick shot at Augur in the sky only to see his efforts fail. One particle stream, even after being enhanced and upgraded, still wasn't strong enough to stop the demigoddess.

"Egon, we need to get her back through the portal, NOW." Peter side stepped the banshee as she took another swiping dive at him. "If she recharges from the storm we'll never be able to stop her!"

"Hear that?" Lamenting his current situation Egon pulled his arm from his chest and saw the unmistakable crimson color of fresh blood beginning to seep through the fabric of his jumpsuit. "Ray, get up!" Already feeling vulnerable Egon easily admitted that he was in trouble. "I'm still hurt."

Seemingly as if he had been waiting to hear those words Ray slowly stirred as consciousness seeped back in. His lax face suddenly contorted as the burning pain in his side became to very first thing Ray was able to feel as he began waking up. "Ow..." He moaned as he placed once hand on his burnt, bloody side. "What the hell?" He shook his head as he opened his eyes and stared at the blackened torn bits of fabric of his jumpsuit. "What happened?!"

"The trap exploded. The banshee escaped." Egon explained in the simplest of terms for the sake of their already limited time. "I'm sorry, I didn't reprogram the traps to handle-"

"Egon," Ray lifted hand to silence his guilt riddled friend. "neither did I. Now we know better..." Weakly he tried to lift his head to look up, but he was still too stunned by the initial explosion to move too much. "What's going on?"

"Augur has arrived." Egon put his good hand under Ray's head and neck to support the injured occultist as he carefully pushed himself up from his side to sit down normally. "And Peter is trying to take down the banshee. Again."

"Augur?" Ray was unfamiliar with the name. "I take it Augur is the spectral anomaly that we're here to stop."

Egon nodded in the affirmative as he watched Peter tango with the banshee. Every time she dove toward him he easily side stepped the spirit and fired his proton stream. Unfortunately with each attempt to wrangle the banshee with the stream she let out a piercing scream that disrupted his focus and subsequently his aim.

Ray glanced up and saw Augur absorbing the storm's energy overhead. "If this 'Augur' manages to harness the power of the storm there will be no way to match her power with anything that our proton packs can generate." The shriek of the banshee drew his attention back to Peter. "But we can't focus on Augur until that she-beast is back in the box."

Peter noticed from the corner of his eye that Ray was now conscious and that he and Egon were planning something together. "Yo! A little help over here!" The banshee screeched and down dangerously close to his face, leaving a deep scratch just below his right eye. "ANY help would be great!"

Augur's power continued to build as she managed to absorb the storm's energy without any intrusions. A blue energy aura began emanating from her body. "The Destructor's will shall be done."

The booming voice of Augur was enough to make Egon flinch. "Ray, even if we managed to trap the banshee again, I fear that three proton streams will not be enough to stop Augur." Egon's voice carried an uncharacteristic lilt of doubt as he spoke.

"Then we'll think of something else." Ray decided as he pressed his hand firmly into his side. He sat up straight in an attempt to shift the weight of the proton pack over to take the strain off his injured side. The metal parts of the pack clanked together with each movement made by the uncomfortable scientist. "Speaking of which..." Reaching back with one hand Ray pulled the ghost trap from the supportive clip attached to the bottom of the proton pack. "you'll need this."

Egon accepted the trap but shot Ray a puzzled look. "What am I going to do with this?"

"Adjust it. We need to catch that banshee, and this time we won't make any mistakes!" Ray encouraged with a genuine enthusiasm that only he could muster in such a dire moment. "The repair tools should be enough to make a frequency adjustment on the trap. You work on the wires and I'll keep the PKE meter running."

"But I-"

"No 'buts' Egon." Ray refused to let the physicist blame himself for an accidental oversight. "You can do this, I'll help."

Peter was knocked from his feet by the banshee, but he managed to lock on his proton stream and hold her at bay. She trashed about wildly and continued to scream her awful cry, of which he couldn't escape or tune out. "Uh, guys? HELP."

Screwdriver in hand Egon tentatively opened the side compartment of the trap exposing the wires and circuits that powered the paranormal device. His hands were shaking, but whether the trembling originated from an unspoken fear, his undeniable exhaustion or mounting blood loss he couldn't be sure. Having Ray working alongside him, using the PKE meter to assist in giving the trap the proper frequency adjustment, kept Egon from losing his focus or breaking his concentration. The company of a dear friend was very comforting even during a very bleak situation.

Peter used all of his strength and mental reserve to keep the banshee contained in the proton stream, while holding her at bay just enough to prevent her from causing him any physical harm during her desperate bid for freedom. "Anytime guys..." He muttered bitterly. "Getting kinda tired here."

"I think I have the frequency." Egon declared as he continued to preposition the delicate wires inside the confined space. "We need to catch the banshee now, we can't risk any attempts to stop Augur while her little guard is still free."

"You're right." Ray agreed, he kept his hand pressed into his painfully burned side as he slowly rose to his feet. Standing up caused his head to swim but a few deep breaths helped ease his dizziness. Retrieving his proton wand he powered up his pack and turned his attention to the banshee. "As soon as I we have that she-beast secured throw the trap!"

"Ray, I..." Egon had finished the proper adjustments; his logical instincts telling him that his calculations were correct, but the doubt that had been instilled in him from his own dark nightmare was enough to make him second guess his own work. "I need you to check my-"

Ray opened fire on the banshee, his body being forcefully jostled by the blast of energy. Clumsily Ray regained his balance as he limped back a few paces to pull the banshee away from Peter, keeping her from hovering directly over the floor man.

"Good work, Ray!" Peter approved of the tactic. Steadily getting back up to his feet he and Ray worked together to keep the banshee contained within the confines of the twin proton streams. Glancing upward toward Augur his blue eyes widened at the formidable force still drawing energy from the storm. "Egon, trap! Trap NOW."

Egon followed Peter's gaze upward and felt a cold knot tightened around his heart. They were running out of time.

Weakly Egon got back to his feet, his every movement sluggish and uncoordinated as the simple act of standing was proving too taxing for his injured, healing body to endure. "Trap!" He called out as he slid the device across the rooftop, placing it under the where the banshee was being held in midair. Stomping down on the switch the trap burst open with a beam of light that had transitioned from its normal whitish yellow, to a whitish green due to the change in frequency. "It works..." Egon whispered to himself as the saw the change in lighting. "Bring her down!" He then shouted with a new found confidence. "You got her!"

"Bring her down!" Peter yelled over to Ray as he began lowering the aim on his proton wand.

"I'm with you!" Ray mirrored Peter's movements with perfect synchronization.

The banshee screamed and thrashed futilely against the proton streams as she continued her ongoing struggle for freedom. With every wild swing of her arms the proton streams seemed to tighten in grip. Her wild hair whipped around her face, her hollow eyes glaring emptily at the Ghostbusters between the dark locks that danced about wildly in the air.

"Almost there..." Egon encouraged as he protectively kept his attention fixed on Augur. A sudden shift in the air told him that the demigoddess had only been toying with them earlier, and soon she'd stop playing her little game and get serious. "Now!" Egon stomped on the switch for the second time as Ray and Peter switched off their proton packs.

The three Ghostbusters watched as the banshee was pulled down into the trap, unable to screech her terrible siren scream or lash out violently. The trap shut its top, the small red light began blinking as it registered the ghost contained within. A blue tinted smoke began billowing from the trap as a strong stench of ozone wafted over the rooftop.

"Got her." Peter nudged the side of the trap with his boot. "And this time she's staying in there!"

Egon limped over to his colleagues and took stock of their current conditions. Ray was in obvious pain as he immediately replaced his against his bleeding, burned side as soon as he was able to use a free hand. Peter had a nasty gash on his face, blood covered his eye as a single trickle of blood dripped down from below his eye; and he had a distant look in his eyes, indicative of a blow to the head. Egon himself knew that he was in no position to tell either man to sit out the final confrontation with Augur as he was arguably in the worst shape of the three men.

Augur herself was waiting for the three men to make their move. She smiled wickedly as she glanced downward at the three mortals; like a child looming over an anthill, she seemed more amused than threatened by anyone who dared to defy herself, or Gozer. "Kismet" She repeated, her voice improbably sinister and loud with every syllable. "Prepare for your final judgment."

Unintimidated by the demigoddess and her threats Peter, Egon and Ray all stood together as their final act of defiance.

Peter blinked through the blood that obscured his vision as he switched on his proton pack. Giving Egon and Ray a look of absolute rebellion gleaming in his passionate blue eyes before staring an icy dagger into the heart Augur. "We're ready."

Ray and Egon retrieved their proton wands and switched on their packs as they stood their ground beside Peter, ready to face off with Augur until the bitter end.

Augur, who had absorbed a significant amount of the storm's ethereal energy, floated down toward the roof. Hovering between the the Ghostbusters and the portal she taunted them with a twisted grin. "The end has come."

"Not on my watch!" Peter defied as he opened fire on the demigoddess.

Egon and Ray followed suit and fired at Augur. The demigoddess was ensnared in three proton streams of an enhanced frequency that wrapped around her entire form. The combined energy of the three packs charged the air with a warm static that seemed all the warmer against the unnaturally cooled air from the ethereal storm.

Augur's grin never waned as the three beams coursed over her body. With a slow wave of her hand she managed to deflect the three streams and free herself with no visible damage done to her form.

Peter, Egon and Ray were knocked back by the recoil of their deflected streams. Pushed backward and left only with their ineffective proton packs the three scientists felt as though they had somehow failed, not just the city but each other.

Peter shook his head as took aim at Augur for the second time. "Again!" Firing the beam from his pack it was quickly joined by the two other beams from Egon and Ray's packs.

Augur began laugh in a deep, maniacal chuckle that chilled the three to their cores.

"Peter, Ray, we have to think of something, fast!" Egon looked past Augur and to the portal that she was hovering in front of. "The portal! We have to close the portal!"

"But we can't!" Ray yelled over the electrical surge of the proton beams. "We can't hold her back and get a clear shot at the portal at the same time!"

Egon had quickly analyzed the situation, his final theory wasn't hopeful. "Ray, Peter, we reprogrammed the proton streams to the frequency generated by the portal and Augur, BEFORE Augur absorbed additional power from the storm. We can't destroy Augur or even hope to contain her, our only chance is to strike the portal itself!"

Peter shouted as took a bold step forward, closing in on Augur without hesitation. "One of us needs to go for the portal. Alone."

"Peter, no!" Egon took his own step forward to keep pace with his friend. "We're not going to let you do this!"

Without any provocation from Egon Ray also stepped toward Augur. "We're not going to lose anyone tonight. Peter step back, we'll think of something else!"

"We don't have time!" Peter argued as he refused to step back. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Augur had grown tired of the trio as they relentlessly continued to try and hold her at bay. As she slowly lifted her hand once more to brush away the three proton streams, but before she could strike her motion was abruptly halted by a fourth stream that shot out from the roof access doorway. She let out a roar of anger as the fourth stream was enough to limit not just her range but her ability to channel energy as well.

Unable to look away or turn their heads away from Augur, the three Ghostbusters could only hold their ground as the unexpected fourth shot from a proton pack joined them near the portal.

"Sorry I'm late guys!" Winston proudly announced his arrival as he took his place at Egon's right shoulder. "Hard to get around without a car!"

"Winston!" Ray was elated to have the full team together. "Glad you could make it!"

Peter looked over at Winston briefly before returning his attention on the wrangled demigoddess. "Where's Dana?"

"Right here." Dana replied as she proudly stood beside Peter. She too was carrying a proton pack and had put on a jumpsuit of her own. She opened fire, unleashing a fifth proton stream upon the demigoddess. "I'm with you all the way."

A dazzling display of five proton streams wrapping around the form of Augur, a resurrected demigoddess of destruction, lit up the roof top in a flash of orange that shown brilliantly against the dark blue tinted storm clouds overhead. The combined strength of the enhanced proton streams was enough to hold the powerful being at bay, unable to resist or fight back against the team of paranormal investigators and eliminators.

The high pitched whir of the five proton packs synchronized and drowned out the rebellious cry of the anger demigoddess.

"We have her!" Egon struggled to see their target through the blinding light emitted by the packs. "If we can push her through the portal," he yelled over the chaotic scene. "we can close it with our packs and stop her from destroying the city!"

"How?!" Ray asked as struggled to keep himself balanced with the injury in his side burning at his every movement. "We need all five streams just to hold her!"

"Like this..." Peter turned to Dana and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before taking a step forward. His proton stream isolating itself from the other four and holding Augur tightly.

"Peter!" Winston protested the move but there was nothing he could do to stop him or even help.

"He knows what he's doing!" Dana defended the bold move although she didn't approve of it. "Trust him!"

"I do trust him!" Winston responded as he turned his eyes from the intense light of the proton streams. "I don't trust her!"

As Peter boldly closed in on Augur the intensity of his proton stream increased, the power flourishing as the closer proximity to the target put less strain on the pack and required less energy to keep the continuous flow's power level consistent.

Augur snarled as she struggled to attack Peter. Her green eyes burned with an intensity comparable only to the fiery depths of Hell itself. "All mortals shall perish..."

"It doesn't take a god to know that!" Peter snapped defiantly as he put himself dangerously close to Augur, his proton stream illuminating the space between their bodies. Long dark shadows cast by both Peter and Augur stretched ominously over the surface of the portal as the mortal man stood toe to toe with a demigoddess. "All good things must come to an end," Peter flipped a switch on the wand of his proton pack that caused the power levels of the pack to shift up to its maximum, dangerous, level "even if that good thing wasn't as good as it could've been."

"Venkman!" Egon knew what the brazen psychologist was going to do and desperately wanted to talk him out of it. "Don't!"

With one final burst from his proton pack Peter pushed the wrathful demigoddess back and into the glass like surface of the portal.

"I will not go back alone..." Augur leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, draining him with a kiss from the damned.

Stunned into paralysis by the final gambit Peter felt all his strength being pulled from his body and the world around him going dark. His complexion paled and his eyes fell shut as every ounce of his strength was stolen away from him by the leaps of the demon. Falling forward his proton wand fell from his limp hands and clattered to the rooftop as Augur stepped back into the portal, her aura pulling Peter along with her.

"Peter!" Dana watched helplessly as Peter was pulled into the portal. She knew that if he was pulled into the portal that he'd never escape. Turning off her own pack and dropping it to the rooftop she bolted toward the portal and reached her hand out for him.

"Dana!" Ray shut off his pack as well, Egon and Winston following suit as to not accidentally strike her.

"I'm not going to lose him!" She called back as she reached the portal. Peter's body disappeared through the surface as Augur pulled him in. "No!"

"We... We have to close the portal." Egon reluctantly reminded the others.

"But... Peter..." Ray refused to leave his friend behind or condemn him to an eternity wandering through another dimension. "We can't abandon him!"

Dana stood before the swirling blue portal, the power of the gateway stirring up the air causing her dark locks of hair to whip wildly around his face. Lifting a hand she pressed her palm against the surface and slowly pushed her hand though. She felt no pain, only coldness.

"Peter! If you can hear me, take my hand!" She called through the portal. "Please! I know you're still there!"

Egon's eyes were wide with fear and indecisiveness. Stopping Augur, closing the portal was the only thing that could protect the city from destruction. Surely the fate of one person compared to millions of others would be the less of two evils. But to play god, to choose who lives and who dies was something that no one person or any person had the right to decide.

"Peter!" Dana continued to call out to her husband, knowing that he'd never give up so easily. "I know you can do it! Take my hand!"

A subtle but noticeable grip tightened on Dana's offered hand through the portal. A grip that suddenly lightened as if a weakness had abruptly taken hold.

"Peter?" She whispered, tightening her hand around the hand that reached out for her own. "I have him!"

Egon turned back to the portal and aimed his proton wand. "Pull him back through!" He looked down at his bleeding injured chest and swore at himself, feeling as though his carelessness when he first explored the hotel was now about to cost him the life of a good friend.

Ray and Winston waited anxiously for any sign from Peter before making a move.

Dana struggled but managed to pull her arm back through the portal. As she stepped back she saw that gloved hand of Peter locked in the firm grip of her own hand. "Peter!" An icy layer of ectoplasm clung to the fabric of his jumpsuit and dripped off in heavy, thick globs. The slick film made it all the more difficult for Dana to keep her grip, but she showed no sign of letting go.

"She has him!" Ray cheered as too aimed his proton wand. "As soon as they're clear, fire!"

Dana pulled on Peter's arm, using both hands until his upper body and head had emerged from the portal. Keeping one hand on his arm she used her other hand to grip the shoulder of his jumpsuit and continued to pull him forward.

"Peter!" She called his name but he didn't respond. His eyes were closed, his face pale and his entire body covered in an icy layer of ectoplasm. "Peter I have you!"

Wrapping her arms around his chest she stepped back and pulled him backward with her. His limp, motionless body fell on top of her as she fell and landed with an uncomfortable 'thud' on the roof.

"Now!" Ray called out as soon as he saw that both Dana and Peter were out of harm's way.

As the three proton streams erupted from the packs and struck the surface of the portal Augur burst forward with a snarling roar. She reached one hand out once more for Peter, gripping him around his ankle.

"No!" Dana saw Augur's hand and stomped down on the clawing fingers as hard as possible.

Augur lost her grip as the proton packs pushed her back through the portal. The proton streams causing the opened portal to steadily narrow and shrink in size as the energy flowed from within the portal was quickly being reverse.

"NO." Augur was losing her power, losing control over the body of the possessed receptionist.

No longer able to maintain control the body of the young woman fell forward and out of the portal in an unconscious heap, revealing the true face of Augur the demigoddess.

A writhing black, semi-translucent figure of demonic creature struggled angrily against the closing gateway. It's lanky and muscular body was covered in a fine layer of dark fur. Four piercing green eyes glared with utter hatred at the successful Ghostbusters of whom were only seconds from triumph. A long beast like mouth with four tusks, two on each side of the lower jaw, jutted upward like ivory daggers; with at least two dozen smaller fangs in between. Six cyclical horns protruded from the top of her head and wrapped downward toward her spine. Two lengthy arms, complete with massive hands and pointed claws desperately reached out through the portal in an attempt to drag Peter back through the portal.

Dana dragged Peter across the roof and away from the collapsing portal, the ectoplasm puddling beneath his stilled body.

With one final surge of collected energy from the proton packs the three beams forced Augur back through the portal where she whence came and sealed the surface before draining the portal of all power. In a bright, small flash the portal vanished and the clouds above began to break apart, the sky clearing after nearly eighteen days of chronic darkness.

The three proton packs were shut off as the three standing Ghostbusters looked to where their fallen teammate lay. Dana rolled Peter onto his side as she unclasped the proton pack from his back. Tossing the device aside she was able to roll him over onto his back. "Peter? Peter wake up." She put her hands to the sides of his face and shuddered at how cold he felt.

Egon, Ray and Winston all rushed to his side and looked down at the pale, lifeless body of Peter Venkman.

"Not like this." Ray stooped down and grabbed Peter's wrist to check his pulse, only to find none.

Egon knew that there would be no pulse to be found. From the look of Peter's body he was certain that the man had been so completely submerged in ectoplasm that he had drowned!

Moving quickly Egon unzipped the upper portion of Peter's jumpsuit exposing the black t-shirt beneath. Pressing his ear to Peter's chest he heard no breathing or beating heart. "Winston..."

Reacting on pure instinct Winston kneeled down beside Peter and began compressing downward on Peter's chest. Using controlled by strong pressure Winston began performing CPR in an attempt to revive Peter. "Come on Venkman, come on..."

As soon as Winston paused compressions Egon pressed his ear back to Peter's chest and near his mouth but still heard no signs of life.

Winston resumed compressions, continuing a steady pace with controlled pressure.

"Peter..." Dana felt warm tears pooling in her eyes as she watched the lifeless body of her husband remain unresponsive. A strong hand squeezed her shoulder as Ray offered some degree of comfort, his other hand still holding Peter's wrist to measure a nonexistent pulse.

Just as Winston was about to stop the compressions a white foam erupted from Peter's mouth as he began to cough up the ectoplasm that had invaded his lungs in a violent torrent. Winston rolled Peter to his side and supported his back as the drowned man struggled to clear his lungs of fluid and take in a much needed breath of air.

"Peter!" Dana put her hand on the back of his head and ran her fingers through his dark, tangled locks.

Egon and Ray let out sighs of relief the moment life returned to the once dead man. Ray pressed his fingers to Peter's neck. "Strong pulse!"

"Easy, easy man." Winston helped Peter to sit upright as he continued to cough and try to take in a full breath.

"What... What happened?!" He asked between coughs. "I was... I was on the other side..."

Peter wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're safe."

Egon weakly stood upright and looked about the roof, seeing no sign of Augur or the portal. "The portal has been shut, the gateway is locked."

Ray looked past Peter to the body of the receptionist who was still laying unconscious near the origin point of the portal. "We need to get these two to the hospital."

Winston laughed a little. "And you two. I can see the blood from down here."

Egon and Ray looked down at their bloodied and burned jumpsuits dismissively.

"He's right." Dana agreed fully. "I'm not going to play nurse to all three of you."

With the portal closed and the storm gone all returned to normal in the city. The power to the hotel had been restored and the citizens were no longer cowering inside their homes.

Winston carried the unconscious receptionist in his arms as the three injured Ghostbusters awkwardly leaned on each other, with Dana's help of course, in order to reach the elevator. Once down on the first floor Dana had called for an ambulance to care for the receptionist and requested a second to tend to the three injured men.

Inside the hospital it was near pandemonium as the waiting room was rushed by police, the mayor's office and even the press. One by one the four Ghostbusters explained everything to the police, who then compared the stories and passed along the information to the mayor's very worried and annoying assistant.

Peter, Ray and Egon were admitted to the hospital and were required to remain overnight for observation. The doctor's were worried that Peter might develop pneumonia from his near drowning, while the painful burns on Ray's side were showing signs of infection and would require extensive care. The severe injuries to Egon's chest had also shown signs of infection and risked exposing the man to an internal infection as well.

Bandaged and set up in a shared room the three men were finally able to let down their guard.

Peter an an IV of antibiotics hooked into his left arm and he had an oxygen mask over his face to assist his breathing. He found the device more annoying than beneficial and kept pulling it from his face.

"Don't do that." Egon warned as he watched Peter from his neighboring bed. "You need to additional oxygen."

"Medical advice coming from a man who was struck by lightning and refused to go to a hospital." Peter dramatically replaced the mask over his face, only to lift it away one more time. "How appropriate."

Egon had his chest cleaned, stitched and wrapped in fresh gauze. In due part to his fractured ribs and the physical exertion he had pushed himself through, he too was hooked up to an IV of antibiotics but only had a nasal canula as opposed to a full oxygen mask over his face.

"Fellas," Ray was his usual neutral self as he listened to his friends picking at each other, his bed across from theirs on the opposite side of the room. "you're both idiots." Ray was the only one who didn't require any oxygen, but he was on strong antibiotics to combat the puncture wounds and burns to his heavy wrapped up side.

There was a knock on the door and a moment later it opened with Dana and Winston carrying arm loads of flowers and balloons.

"That seems a little excessive." Ray remarked at the outpouring of affection. "Oh, I love daisies!"

Peter and Egon gave Ray an odd glance before Peter turned his attention to his courageous wife. "Did you two rob a party store?"

"These," Dana explained as she placed a large vase of flowers between Peter and Egon's beds. "are thank you gifts from the city. Everyone knows what you guys did and everyone is thankful." She lifted Peter's mask away and kissed him. "And I'm glad you're all going to be okay."

Winston returned to the door and held it open. "There someone else who wants to see you."

In walked Janine who was holding little Oscar in her arms.

"Oscar!" Peter was genuinely happy to see the step-son, of whom he had decided was his own flesh and blood son and loved him as such. "Good to see you!"

Janine handed the baby to his parents and stepped back. "As soon as the storm cleared up Dana's sister called. I told her everything was safe again, so while you guys were being checked out by the doctors I swung by Jersey and picked him up as a surprise!"

"Thank you Janine." Dana kissed her son's cheek happily. "It's nice to be all together again."

Winston took a seat in a chair beside Ray's bed and explained the game plan that he and Dana had come up with while out in the waiting room. "So, this is what's going to go down. Tonight me and Dana are going to stay here with you guys, Janine is going to return to the firehouse and lock things down for the rest of the night, AND for the rest of the week. We're all going to take a vacation, no more busting until next week."

"But Winston," Ray started to protest like a little kid. "we can't just NOT catch ghosts. What if someone needs help while we're out of action?"

"That's why we got in contact with Hoss. He's going to head back to the city tonight and train his new recruits while their headquarters is being built and inspected in Chicago."

Egon was intrigued by Winston's plan. "Time off will do us all good. We need to rest."

"Well, if the brains of the outfit says it's playtime," Peter happily agreed as he snuggled with Oscar. "then it's playtime! Right Oscar?"

**-The End**


End file.
